A Century-Old Seville Building Transformed into Four Apartments by Febrero Studio.

Seville takes many things seriously. Flamenco dancing. Tapas nights. Afternoon siestas. (To name a few). Besides its kaleidoscopic cultural hallmarks, however, the Andalusian town is also serious about preserving and elevating its traditional architecture.

Bos-Cos’ latest establishment—its first in Seville—is a classic case in point. Once an old Sevillian courtyard townhouse, the property has a gentle grandmotherly quality that makes you want to hang up your boots and pop on your slippers the moment you walk in.

Casa JMA Marbella by Febrero Studio.

This project on the south coast of Spain consisted in the complete refurbishment of an old villa...

When Jesús Díaz Osuna of Madrid-based design practice Febrero Studio received the brief for the (re)design, the main requirement was that the 100-year-old townhouse be converted into four independent flats, each with its own terrace. Bos-Cos were keen to redraw the panorama of short-stay city apartments and bring the concept closer to that of a boutique hotel. In order to achieve this within the current legal framework, it was necessary to demolish an entire wing of the house that did not belong to the original construction and rebuild it from scratch.

The result is four duplexes, two in the new wing and two retrofitted into the original construction. The main challenge, Jesús admits, was ensuring that the old and new constructions looked like a cohesive whole—no mean feat, considering the original architecture was more than a century old.

House in Seville, Spain by Harald Schönegger & Inmaculada González.

This historical block in Seville has been transformed into a contemporary family home built around a central courtyard...

The solution, he says, was using the central courtyard with vertical openings—a defining characteristic of Sevillian architecture—to serve as a median between the old and the new. “The original courtyard makes nods to the materials, tones and elements of local architecture,” he notes.

The final establishment is almost like a time capsule. Step into the old wing to go back in time. Step out of it to return to the present. With the past and the present always within reach, where you are is a matter of the moment.

Village by BOA: A Heritage Resort in Porto by Pablo Pita, Heim Balp Architekten & Bacana Studio.

In the Portuguese town of Porto is a neighbourhood that masquerades as a resort...

[Images courtesy of Febrero Studio. Photography by German Saiz.]