In an apartment he rented in an old house located in the medieval core of Granada, the architect noticed a number of features - such as arches in the Moorish style - pointing to an early construction date for the overall structure. In 1982, suspecting that other elements might be concealed under transformations and additions executed in the first decades of this century, Mr Sanchez Gomez decided to buy the house in order to restore it and use it as his own residence.
The project includes the comple restoration of the house and its re-adaptation and re-utilization as residence. Modern sanitary and electrical installations, a lift and a garage at basement level have been added without altering the original character of the building. The town house, built on a slightly sloping site, covers an almost rectangular surface and shares party walls with adjoining structures on either side. It is laid out around three sides of an open patio; one wing rises to a height of two-storeys over the basement while the opposite side is three-storey high. The first step was to remove later additions to uncover the original 14th century elements which were still extant. As the excavations proceeded, new features such as pavings, remains of arches, carved stucco work and painted wooden ceilings were brought to light. These elements were incorporated in the new design in an effort to re-create the original character of a typical 14th century Arab/Andalusiari courtyard house. Traditional handicraft restoration techniques were utilized in the execution of the works and original volumes were preserved inasmuch as possible.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
