A thoughtfully renovated residential project in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, demonstrates how modern architectural intervention can restore both heritage value and functionality to a historic home. The BS House, completed in 2024 by MARXE a+t, represents a comprehensive approach to residential renovation that prioritizes spatial quality, energy efficiency, and accessibility without altering the building's original footprint.
Located in one of Santiago de Compostela's historic districts, the 210-square-meter house had undergone a series of modifications in recent decades that significantly diminished its heritage and spatial value. The project team, led by architects Natalia Alvaredo and Javier Rocamonde, with design team members Eva Pampín and Aurora Gil Méndez, approached the renovation with clear objectives: enhance the architecture while improving living conditions and energy efficiency without increasing the building's surface area or altering its built volume.
The renovation strategy focused on increasing spatial quality by reducing internal subdivisions and prioritizing the opening of spaces to allow more natural light penetration. A key aspect of the project involved recovering the original functional distribution of the house by relocating the kitchen to the ground floor and highlighting remnants of the old chimney that had been hidden under multiple layers of finishes and additions over the years.
Structural improvements included increasing ceiling heights by removing pre-existing concrete slabs and replacing them with wooden beams, using a construction system designed to maximize spatial efficiency. To improve the healthiness of ground floor living spaces, the architects proposed a sanitary floor system with a finishing level 20 centimeters lower than the previous level, addressing moisture and ventilation concerns common in historic buildings.
Accessibility enhancements were integrated throughout the design, with the entrance connection resolved through a ramp with a slope of less than 10 percent. The connection to the garden takes advantage of the existing natural slope, with slight topographical modifications to eliminate steps or additional ramps, creating seamless indoor-outdoor transitions.
Energy efficiency improvements included comprehensive insulation in the building envelope and installation of new heating, hot water, and ventilation systems designed to ensure comfort and health while minimizing energy consumption. These modern mechanical systems were carefully integrated to respect the historic character of the structure while meeting contemporary performance standards.
The landscape design received equal attention, with comprehensive improvements to the garden area. The design team removed inappropriate additions, cleaned existing vegetation, and addressed slope challenges through a sequence of terraces and stairs constructed from reused wood and stone materials. A priority identified early in the project was replacing a deteriorated pre-existing storage shed with a new attached construction that helps integrate the party walls of neighboring properties, creating a more cohesive rear patio space.
The project demonstrates how contemporary renovation techniques can honor historic architecture while meeting modern living standards. Through careful attention to spatial relationships, material choices, and building performance, the BS House renovation serves as a model for sensitive intervention in historic residential contexts, proving that heritage preservation and contemporary comfort can coexist successfully.
