Zigzagging Colors and Angles Electrify Relámpago House by H3O Architects
Three angular walls define the vibrant interiors of this barn-turned-home in Sant Just Desvern, Spain. Reimagined by Barcelona studio H3O, the design pays homage to a lightning strike that hit the building generations ago. Named Relámpago House, this one-storey former barn features a white-painted barrel-vaulted ceiling and is located on the outskirts of Barcelona.
GALLERY
Relámpago House features a colour-block interior
For the interior scheme, H3O took cues from an old family legend told by the homeowner, whose ancestors are said to have survived a lightning bolt that struck the barn and entered the building through the chimney, narrowly avoiding the family members sheltering under the dining table. “Transforming a story into architecture seemed to us a fascinating and fun challenge.”
H3O delineated spaces with jagged walls informed by lightning bolts.
H3O inserted three intersecting walls shaped like lightning bolts into the plan, defining rooms within the otherwise open space. “This geometry choice is not random – it emulates the unpredictable trajectory and rapid dispersion of a lightning bolt’s energy,” added the studio.
The all-pink bedroom is accessed via a colourful door
The colourful intersecting walls enclose a private bedroom and bathroom, as well as forming the perimeter of the open-plan kitchen and living area.
This communal space features zigzagged strip lighting suspended above a boxy metal kitchen island and walls clad in green glazed tiles.
Strip lighting was suspended above a metal kitchen island
Sugary pink walls delineate the bedroom, accessed via a contrasting door that is painted dark green on one side and deep blue on the other.
“The interaction of these colours with the opening and closing doors creates an experience of spatial fluidity inspired by the pop art aesthetic of the 70s, reflecting a radical, fun and optimistic spirit,” explained H3O.
The angular bathroom has a blue ceiling and walls
Characterised by a mixture of green tiles and floor-to-ceiling dark blue paint, the bathroom is the smallest and most angular of the spaces, with a jagged, asymmetric mirror that wraps one corner of the room and tops a geometric sink.
“The construction of the walls involved a meticulous design and execution process, ensuring that every angle and twist served an aesthetic function and optimised habitability and indoor living,” the studio said.
Stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handles
Small stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handles throughout the dwelling, adding organic accents to the otherwise colour-blocked interior. As a final nod to the home’s tumultuous history, a sculptural silver lightning bolt now protrudes from the chimney.
“The idea of a lightning bolt redefining space, filling it with form and colour, pushed us to explore beyond conventional boundaries,” reflected H3O.
“Relámpago House transforms a forgotten barn into a visual spectacle.”
A silver lightning bolt protrudes from the building’s chimney
Various other architectural projects have been defined by zigzagging motifs.
London-based Outpost studio created a jagged zinc kitchen extension in Haggerston while German practice Wulf Architekten designed a sports centre for a school in Überlingen with a folding roof to reference the mountains of the surrounding Alps.
Photography José Hevia.
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