St. miquel 19 / Palma Mallorca by Carles Oliver

Building Costs: 18000.00 €

© José Hevia © José Hevia © José Hevia © José Hevia © José Hevia © José Hevia © José Hevia

Architects: Carles Oliver
Photography: José Hevia

Refurbishment project built with € 18,000 budget that aims to bring empty homes back into use for people in housing need, which is a huge problem right now in Spain, especially at tourist areas like Mallorca island.

€ 12,000 have been used for energy efficieny improvement (roof insulation and biomass stove) and € 6,000 for indoor rehabilitation.
The project has been made with an urban sharecropping contract, paying rent for 3 years through the work, part of which has been done by self-construction.

In order to be able to refurbish a 100 square meters dwelling with this amount, we followed 3 ideas:
1. NOT TO DO, as the best way to do.
2. Domestic Archaeology, to learn how economy of means has built our cities for centuries.
3. Back to the arch, as a way to open spaces without adding any kind of new material. To open a door is not the same than to build a door.