The Corten line

It took four years of renovation to the rhythm of the jackhammers and bell towers of the Cathedral of Santa Maria in Girona to make this ancient workbench a new building, designed in the continuity of the architectural line of this ancient city dating from 77 BC. Occupied by the Romans, then by the Spanish conquistadors, this border town served as a retreat area, before becoming a symbol of trade. Distinguished in 2016 by the European Council, the city now enjoys a healthy attractiveness. Alemanys, designed by the Spanish architect Anna Noguer, intends to respect this spirit of city while meeting the new functional and environmental requirements of a modern place.

From the main entrance, as you will see, the visitor accesses an iron-gray hall on a parchment reddened by Corten lines. The first floor houses a unit with an exit to the courtyard and the garden, while the second and third floors house a duplex. The project is structured around two central axes that structure the layout of the floors. The staircase and elevator space is clad in Corten steel panels, marking this area as the central hinge of the building. The floors are covered with wooden planks, while those on the rear axle are made of polished concrete. Outside and inside, the stone walls are exposed, their natural texture and color carefully highlighted, as are the assembly joints. The stones from the demolished ancient buildings were recovered to dress the courtyard of the cistern, underlining the respect for the past in this transformation. Following the urban plan of the medieval city, the lintels and the crowns of the stone walls are made of one centimeter thick steel sheets, adding an industrial touch to the historic character of the place.