IN SPAIN, ARCHITECT
VALENTÍN SANZ OUTFITS
A UNIQUELY EFFICIENT
RENTAL APARTMENT WITH
A TIERED WOODEN STRUCTURE
THAT FUNCTIONS AS
FURNITURE, STORAGE UNIT
AND ROOM DIVIDER IN ONE
WORDS _Ana Domínguez Siemens
PHOTOGRAPHS _Luis Díaz DíazLocated in the north of Spain, the province of Soria is known for its quaint medieval
capital (also called Soria) and, unfortunately, its rural joblessness and gradually empty-
ing villages. Among the latter is Almenar de Soria, which has only about 200 residents
and is the hometown of Valentín Sanz. The young architect studied in Madrid and fin-
ished school during the Great Recession, when many architectural practices had to close
their doors and numerous practitioners were left unemployed. In 2009, Sanz founded
his own studio, LiquenLAV; like many in his cohort, he has pursued a varied career that
includes work in furniture and product creation, in graphic design and in urbanism.
Recently, though, he returned to the village of his birth to work on a potentially game-
changing interiors project: a single small apartment designed to address the region’s
lack of rental spaces. Although there are plenty of empty houses in the area, they are
typically either for sale only or in a derelict state. The project has been financed partly
by the regional government and partly by Almenar de Soria’s city council, which owns
the property.
Originally a Red Cross building constructed in the 1980s, the structure had a public
ground floor where emergency response was staged and an ambulance was kept, as
well as a private top floor where workers could have a rest or cook lunch. It is this top
level, accessed through an independent entrance, that LiquenLAV has adapted into
its unique version of a small and affordable rental apartment. The space – called
Ruralattic – is 47 square metres in size, with a sloping ceiling that rises generously at the
centre of the apartment. While a kitchen and tiled bathroom line one side of the space,Step-
ping
to
it
072 _ _SEPT 2019