Minutos de Arquitectura. Padilla Nicás

Francisco José Padilla Alonso (Madrid, 1971) and Juan Manuel Nicás Caballero (Jaén, 1975) formed the Padilla Nicás Arquitectos firm in 2003 after meeting at Rafael Moneo's studio, where they worked together on various projects in Spain and the US. They currently combine their professional work with commissions, competitions, and teaching activities.

¿Cuál es la idea del proyecto de la Residencia de Estudiantes Don Ramón de la Cruz?
Almost from the outset, the idea behind the project was to highlight the contrast between the exterior, which belongs to a 1950s building in a nice, somewhat elegant neighborhood, and the contemporary interior, which features materials used today: different floors, different paint, different signage, and brighter lighting. This contrast was one of the project's objectives.

What has been the main challenge of this project?
The main challenge of the project was really to make it viable, that is, we had a very limited budget and no possibility of expansion, so having a few months to work with was also very limited and tight, and we needed as many rooms as possible, as is inevitable in a residence. So, bringing these three elements together was really the challenge of the project; the rest was design, but the difficult part was making it feasible.

How do you want visitors to feel in this space?
What we would like is for visitors entering this space to feel the contrast we mentioned earlier, that is, between the exterior and the interior, so that when they enter the building, they realize that the interior was occupied at that moment, which was something unexpected, something different from what they expected.

Which STRUGAL systems were used in the execution of the project?
The Strugal systems we use in this project are all from the S53RP+ series with thermal break and monoblock frames, both for the exterior of the building and for the interior openings leading to the courtyards.

What is Padilla Nicás' philosophy?
The philosophy or approach of the studio is to allow projects to follow their own course, adapting to the clear social, economic, and physical needs of each situation, resulting in a product with its own personality. In other words, the studio's projects are ultimately distinguished by the personality they acquire through this process.