Lloc Arquitectes
The Human Gaze
Since the day Itziar Lafuente (Barcelona, 1984) and Adrián Talens (Palma, 1987) first made eye contact in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, their paths were forever enjoined. First as a couple, then as partners in their architecture studio on Mallorca, and finally as parents. Respect for the environment and the human gaze, depending on the profile of the inhabitants of each house, are their hallmarks.
text Angie Ramón
photography Iñigo Vega, José Hevia
It was in 2012 that Itziar and Adrián decided to abandon the frenzied pace of Barcelona and move to Mallorca. After working for other companies for several years, in 2015 they established Lloc Arquitectes. They were united by the idea of working on their projects using materials from the island, and employing economy of means, i.e. making more with less.
They decided to embark on the adventure in the midst of a global economic crisis, at a time when companies related to the world of construction were having difficulties. In fact, they even saw how some studios belonging to their colleagues had been forced to close down, unable to overcome the circumstances of the day. “But we kept on ploughing ahead as best we could. Having your own studio isn’t easy, by any means”, says Itziar.
In spite of everything, any setbacks were small in comparison to their desire to turn simple residences into homes with a soul. “Actually, our profession has a very powerful human component. Housing allows you to solve the daily needs of people in their everyday routine”, they explain.
One important milestone for Lloc Arquitectes came in 2018, when they won the competition run by the Institut Balear de la Vivenda (Ibavi), the Balearic institute for public housing, with a project for 48 social protection apartments in the Magaluf area, using sustainable materials like a cross-laminated timber structure or local ceramics. [...]
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