There are few buildings that embody Madrid’s popular, working-class roots more than its corralas. As the city began its steady growth after being named Spain’s capital at the beginning of the 17th century, these buildings housed many immigrants to Madrid. Today an estimated 500 survive. One of their distinguishing features is their open galleries, with a common patio to one side and individual units on the other. Many are also, sadly, in danger of disappearing and something that was uniquely Madrileño may be lost forever.
The corralas embody a time when people knew their neighbors and each building felt like its own small and unique village. Yes, this could be a downside. Your neighbors knew everything about you—when you left in the morning and when you came home in the evening. In short, every move could be, and often was, observed. But they also provided a sense of community that many now look back to with a sense of nostalgia. They are relics of another era. While many of these buildings still stand, they are struggling to survive. The architectural studio Extrarradio was given the challenge of renovating an apartment in one of these buildings, located in the once working-class neighborhood of Lavapiés where many corralas can still be found. The studio has pulled off a brilliant transformation that also manages to stay true to the building’s history and design.
The reimagined apartment of just over 400 square feet has a modern and forward-looking feel. Its owner is a young creative who, attracted by the cultural scene and the vitality of the Lavapiés neighborhood, decided to buy his first home after many years of living in Madrid. He wanted to stay in the city center but his budget meant he was limited to apartments on the small side. Eventually, this unit in a corrala turned out to be exactly what he wanted. To give it the refresh it needed, he put his trust in Extrarradio studio, led by the architect Antonio Antequera, who accepted the mission of converting a small and compartmentalized space into a spacious and bright home.