Underground Apartment in Barcelona by RAS Arquitectura.

Architect Raúl Sánchez, founder of RAS Arquitectura has converted the vaulted basement of a Barcelona house into a subterranean apartment, now known as Apartment Tibbaut. The rooms of the apartment are separated by a curving plywood partition. A stone and ply staircase leads down into the small space below the house located near the sea, with barely any access to natural light. Not only this – this area is faced with serious humidity conditions. A great start this is not, but somehow the architects have managed to make the best of the bad situation.

The result is a simply-built interior of 55sqm that’s monumental in stature despite it’s small proportions, presided over by two octagonal stone pillars from which domes and vaults rise as load-bearing supports for the upper floors. The materials palette is reduced to white for floors and walls, allowing the small amount of light to bounce in the space, with pine plywood being the only other material introduced for part-height partitions. This approach creates a serene canvas upon which the future users will add their own splashes of textures and colours with their furniture and personal belongings.

Related Posts: Beautiful Buildings Below The Ground.

[Images courtesy of RAS Arquitectura. Photography by Jose Hevia.]