Rehabilitating one of the may uninhabited houses in the historical centre of Tarragona, Spain, Mediona 13 by NUA arquitectures is an intervention that preserves as much as possible of the existing building fabric while bringing in more natural light and a flexible living concept that can be understood as 3 homes in 1. In other words, a house that can accommodate anything from 3 small households to a single large family.
The rehabilitation introduces a new gate entry that allows light to travel through to the centre of the house, where there is an inner square that gathers inhabitants and directs them to their private units.
The existing courtyard is widened with new windows and openings increasing the permeability between private and common areas. Alongside the new openings, the existing structure has been reinforced and walls consolidated.
Colours used for new structural elements come from the existing walls while a light blue is chosen for the common space, a colour that is traditionally used in this region for hygienic as well as spiritual reasons in windows, facades and entrances.
