maragato lofts

AQSO arquitectos office. The stunning facade of the maragato building is composed of balconies and bay windows, combining stone cladding with metal frames and aluminium composites.

This residential building brings a modern, sleek design in the historic centre of the city. It comprises two apartments, two duplexes and a retail store. The façade follows a layout similar to the surrounding buildings, but alternately combines suggestive balconies and bay windows.

Luis Aguirre
Sergio Blanco
Razvan Brezoianu
Andrés Fernández
Manuel Martínez

Building area: 500 sqm
Location: Astorga, Spain
Client: Private

AQSO arquitectos office. Physical model made with cardboard of the Maragato residential building. The simplicity of the elevation follows the proportion of openings from the traditional buildings nearby.

The project arises in the centre of Astorga, in northern Spain, a historical and cultured area. The façade looks towards one of the town’s main plazas, where some of the most beautiful and emblematic architectures, such as the Cathedral and Gaudi’s Episcopal Palace, can be seen.

AQSO arquitectos office. The main elevation of the Maragato Lofts residential building captures the west sunshine across the square through a series of tapered openings and balconies.

AQSO arquitectos office. Detail of one of the balconies. A simple slab cladded with dark metal protrudes from the facade plane with a frameless glass balustrade, contrasting with the limestone cladding.

The building occupies a highly exposed corner, with a contemporary urban façade.
Here, the surface is a monolithic element, perforated by a scheme of modern-design windows and balconies to capture the light coming from a South-East orientation.

AQSO arquitectos office. The building, seen from the narrow adjacent street, shows the balconies and windows capturing the views of the urban setting.

AQSO arquitectos office. The sober facade combines three materials: limestone, black metal and glass. The arrangements of the openings offers a dynamic look based on simple displacements, chamfered corners and alignments.

These openings form a singular (almost rhythmic) pattern, which wraps around the block. Balconies become sleek protuberances made in glass and steel; the tapered openings are cladded with a black matt metal, while the main block is covered with a light limestone cladding.

AQSO arquitectos office. This housing project located in a conservation area offers a contemporary style that respectfully blends with the surroundings. The sober fachada encloses a series of high-end apartments.

AQSO arquitectos office, maragato lofts, floor plans including the top floor loft, the apartments, the retail unit on the ground floor and the outdoor staircase in the courtyard

The top-floor emerges from the main façade as a recessed roof element, almost hidden from the street, while the main volume aligns with the surrounding buildings.

AQSO arquitectos office, living room of the maragato loft residential building in Spain. Herringbone timber flooring combined with hexagonal concrete tiles in a minimal and elegant design

The arrangement of the block around the patio maximises the plot ratio and provides homogeneous lighting conditions for all the units, while the façade offers a finish, which is harmonious with the proportion of the nearby buildings.

Residential building in Astorga

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The creative process