Domingo devised a plan to add a second floor to a building to enhance structural stability and increase living space. Collaborating with structural engineer Manuel Ocaña, they designed a series of lightweight trusses that distributed weight evenly, allowing for an effective design that eased earlier structural concerns. The 194-square-foot addition contributes to a cohesive living area of under 540 square feet, creatively utilizing colors and materials to establish distinct zones while promoting a sense of weightlessness in the structure, reminiscent of a kite soaring.
"Together with our structural engineer, Manuel Ocaña, we came up with a solution that met all of our requirements: a very lightweight tubular series of trusses, whose strength was based on using many anchor points. By dispersing them across the entire surface-what we call 'atomizing' them—we avoided concentrating weight at any single point and, at the same time, this helped to 'stiffen' the roof," Domingo recalls.
"As I started working on the structural design, there was one word that popped into my head that then shaped everything else: weightlessness. I don't know why, but there was something about the way the structure held together, or rather, the way it wasn't held in place—that reminded me of a kite soaring gently in the sky," Domingo explains.
"The upper area is visually separate, but it remains connected to the lower floor," the studio explains. In fact, the entire home is one interconnected space (except for the bathroom) making it feel larger than it is, at less than 540 square feet.
"It gave us lightweight and effective trusses that not only shored up the structure but also gave us enough extra room so that one or two people can comfortably use a new small loft space to rest or relax."
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