Located in the city's Jewish quarter, the El Greco Museum comprises two buildings; a 16th century house designed as a recreation of the artist's home and a 20th century extension.

Architect Fernando Pardo Calvo told Dezeen how his extension was conceived as a glazed volume to respect the existing buildings. "Its presence in the garden is diminished by its transparency," he explained.

Behind the glazed entrance, a second new space is clad in concrete panels, which are engraved with the outlines of one of the artist's paintings.

"El Greco is present at all times," said Pardo Calvo. "Not only in the collections but also in the architecture. In the historic building because this place was near his workshop, and in the new building because his painting "Vista y plano de Toledo" is engraved in the concrete."

As well as adding a new entrance, the architects have restored the spaces of the gallery, which house artworks by El Greco and a selection of other 17th century painters.

The architects used a traditional material palette of ceramics, plaster, stucco and wood for these areas of the building.

See more stories about renovations, including a replacement corner for a ruined Renaissance palace.

Photography is by Miguel de Guzman.

Here's some information from the architects:

El Greco Museum
Toledo, Spain 2003-2011

Adequacy and realignment works of the El Greco Museum, at buildings and gardens surrounded by Samuel Levy St., Paseo del Tránsito St., Alamillos del Tránsito St. and San Juán de Dios St. at Toledo city. Toledo

Short historic notice

On the remains base of a XVI century house and a renaissance palace at the Jewry of Toledo, it was built on the beginning of XX century the edification conjunct that today compounds the El Greco Museum House.

The Marquis de la Vega-Inclán was who recovered those areas, as well, the gardens during the years 1907 – 1910, the aim was to develop the idea of organize a center dedicated to the art work of El Greco performed at the Jewry of Toledo, in the real El Greco's house environment , nearby of Villena's Palace.

Ground floor plan - click above for larger image

When the works were finished the Spanish State donation was formalized, and on April, 27th, 1910, the Patronage was founded, this institution took over of the custody and govern of the Greco's Museum House.

First floor plan - click above for larger image

That age significant personages were involved in the Patronage. (Beruete, Sorolla, Mélida, Cossío, etc.). The House was opened and inaugurated on June, 12nd, of 1911. A section was restored as the Marquis Vega-Incan’s house, staying this private situation up to 1942.

Roof plan - click above for larger image

The reasons for restore this conjunct were to shelter in it, the El Greco's work collection that was spread out all over the city of Toledo (San Jose´s Church, Santiago's Hospital, etc…) and was on risk of disappearing and lost. This collection was developed with a further room’s extension at 1921, for the exposure of the painting art work of the XVII century Spanish schools. This should be the starting point of a Spanish Art Center.

Section one - click above for larger image

The 1921 restoration was followed by any other two, at 1950 and 1960 and other one at 1990. The current project begins on the base site of the last one (1990).

Section two - click above for larger image

Project

The target of the project has been to take advantage of space and cultural potential that the edifications, gardens and the El Greco personality as well, going through a realignment labor.

Sections three and four - click above for larger image

Meanwhile a pavilion construction gives shelter to the museum funds and a new travel path is restructured across the conjunct of buildings (rehabilitated and adapted to the current normative standards) and also allows the visit to the gardens and caves.

Section five - click above for larger image

Museografy

The museography project, although formally distinguished, takes part of the propound common objective, going through the existing building path, showing the recuperation and construction of the El Greco figure by the Marquis de la Vega-Inclán, the work and the different aspects of his life and travels, and his painting later influences, with the aim of explaining and giving value itself trough a reference configuration frame.

Section six - click above for larger image

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by Pardo + Tapia Arquitectos appeared first on Dezeen.

These four concrete apartment blocks by Spanish architects TASH were only completed last year, but they already look strangely abandoned in these photographs.

The buildings are located in Toledo, central Spain, halfway between the historic city and the new town.

The six-storey buildings sit above two brick-clad car parks, which are almost entirely buried underground.

Balconies line the south elevations of each block, where walls of differently coloured brickwork walls create a pattern of vertical stripes.

Some otherinteresting Spanish projects we've featured include a raised viewing platform around a Roman temple and a social housing tower - see more stories about Spain here.

Photography is by Miguel de Guzmán.

The following text came from TASH:

144 Protected Collective Houses in Toledo, Spain.

Description:
The collective housing complex is located in the Ecobarrio, an ambitious project located in a very important area for the future development of Toledo because is called to become an union nexus between the old town and modern town of Toledo.

Sustainability and optimal bioclimatic behaviour of the building are principles pursued all through the project design process and became, along with the public protection housing derived factors, such as areas optimization and minimal resources and a tight budget, the main criteria followed throughout the project development.

According to the previously established criteria the dwellings are grouped in compact blocks whose shape favours a good bioclimatic behaviour. These blocks are placed following a North-South orientation, allowing to free as much surface in ground floor as possible for common and entertaining areas.

The volumetric compacity and sobriety of the buildings makes a search for formal expressivity necessary by other means as different materials combinations or different scale-textures oppositions.

The material combinations does not only mean great variety on their application but a careful study in other topics as constructive details and encounters between different materials for a better final result.

As for the opposition of different scales-textures, it happens all over the different façades, confronting concepts as mass and simpicity of the concrete slabs on the East-West façades, as other concepts such as dynamism, lightness and complexity of the South façade, perceived as a continuous balcony front with mobile sliding elements that allow sunshade to the housings.

Click above for larger image

In the North façade a more plain and enclosed composition prevails, following a rythm of vertical walls made of different kind of bricks.

Data sheet:
Architects: TASH (Taller de Arquitectura Sánchez-Horneros)
Location: Toledo, Spain

Team: Emilio Sánchez-Horneros, Antonio Sánchez-Horneros.
Collaborators: Javier Rodríguez, Emilio Gómez, Alberto Di Nunzio.

Structural Engineering: Antonio García de Blas
Technical Engineering: Alberto de la Cal, Francisco Ruiz Guadamillas
Client: Servicaman

Construction: FCC Fomento de Construcciones y contratas
Project Area: 21.484,95 m2
Project year: 2008-2010

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Architectural photographer Roland Halbe has sent us these photos of a refurbished public school in Toledo, Spain, designed by Madrid studio GRG Arquitectos.

Top and above images copyright Roland Halbe

Called Nuestra Senora del Castellar Public School, the project involved transforming the existing teachers' accommodation into a classroom, as well as building a new dining room and kitchen.

Above image copyright Roland Halbe

The architects used colour to differentiate spaces, coating the existing buildings in grey, the new volumes in white, and entrances and exits in primary colours.

Above image copyright Roland Halbe

Here's some text from GRG Arquitectos:

--

“NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL CASTELLAR” PUBLIC SCHOOL´S IN VILLARRUBIA DE SANTIAGO BY GRG-ARCHITECTS

The functional purpose of the proposal was to transform the existing teacher´s housing building into a classroom, and to also to erect a new building that accomodates the new programme of dining room and kitchen.

Above image copyright Roland Halbe

As a result of the functional solution emerge three different pieces in form and function:

• First, the volume that contains the dining room and kitchen.
• The intermediate piece, of a greater size, accomodates the classrooms and wet rooms.
• The construction of the thrid piece, reinforces the idea of the other two: the new vertical communications core section shapes the north-west facade of the court yard.

Above: the building before refurbishment

As an answer to the surroundings, the school offers different solutions, aesthetically and spatially. We find them in their direct and indirect relation with the outside spaces.

A white massive wall spoted with small holes, hides the dinning room to the street.

At the same time, a slight ramp and a light stair reach the entrance level of the main floor.

On the other side, the piece of communication meets directly with the existing game yard (playground).

The white vertical wall rests on the horizontal plane of the ground with the standing out the heaviness of the wall. Its presence becomes softer by the oblique line revealing the gray drawing to the classroom.

Three volumnes, classroom, dining and communication’s element, combine together new spaces until now non-existent:

• The shed entrance to the dining room with access from the playground and the street is presented as an area of transition between game and duty.
• The light inside the dining room enters through the patio, organizes the spaces and distributes functions.
• And also two access from the courtyard, raise us to the classroom through two paths that enphasize the entrance.

At last we introduce the color. White manifests itself in the new building and in the holes of the existing windows; Gray, in the existing buildings; and Primary Colors appear in access and exit doors to the courtyard.

Its kindness lays in the search for spaces wide and luminous spaces, the balance of proportions and the care of the details definition.

Architects
GRG Arquitectos

Location
Toledo, Spain.

Type of project
Educational

Structural engineers
Engineering 3D3

Project architect
Blanca Rosa Gutiérrez Rodríguez
Natalia Gutiérrez Rodríguez

Design team
Blanca Rosa Gutiérrez Rodríguez
Natalia Gutiérrez Rodríguez

Funding
GICAMAN S.A.

Client
Toledo´s Provincial Delegation
Regional Education Ministry, Castilla La-Mancha, Spain.

Tender date
2007

Start on site date
April 2009

Contract duration
Five months

Gross internal floor area
450 m ²

Form of contract and/or procurement:
WorKing Project and Healthy & Safety Research Assignment on the Refurbished School in Villarrubia de Santiago, Toledo.

Total cost
600.000 € (VAT included)

M&E consultant
Engineering 3D3

Quantity Surveyor
Javier Rojo Ruiz

Planning supervisor
David Palacios
Toledo´s Provincial Delegation.
Regional Education Ministry, Castilla La-Mancha, Spain

Lighting supervisor
Miguel Angel Sánchez

Main contractor
Construcciones y Promociones San Luis 32, S.A.

Selected subcontractors and suppliers
Quality Assurance and Quality Control Inspection: SGS Tecnos S.A.
Geotechnical Research: Geonoc, S.A.

Annual CO2 emissions
51,96 t

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by GRG Arquitectos appeared first on Dezeen.