Journal of an architect:
´
-Today one of the most complex projects of my career has been proposed to me. One day through the door a couple of middle age came into. The first thing that caught my attention was the exhaustion in her eyes. Next to her, an apparently healthy man, but later I realized that he wasn’t what he pretended to be. With this premise, the project begins.
She wanted to move to another house because, the house was increasingly small and devoid of elements that would make life easier for a husband who had a disease that produced a progressive degeneration of mental and motor. The couple looked for a quiet and spacious place. They found it in 40 kilometers north of Seville (37 ° 40'33.4 "N 6 ° 11'15.7" W) with views to the reservoir Minilla A detached house built by architect Emilio Ambasz that met all the requirements they were looking for, but it needed an overhaul that would allow them to face the challenges ahead.
From the current 40 to 48, the husband has undergone an evolution of disease that reaches its final stage passing about 15 years approximately after the first symptoms begin. During their first visit Sandra started to tell me the story of her husband’s disease.
John, the husband, began to have trouble at work. He was increasingly distracted and distant from both his family and his workmates. With the pass of time this situation leads Juan to a depression and this fact made the familiar situation worse. This is compounded by memory loss and a series of involuntary grimaces that were virtually undetectable at first but gradually intensified.
At this point and after several medical tests doctors said that it was unusual Huntington's disease. Moreover they told them that the disease would continue degenerating and it would be a difficult situation for the whole family, including children.
From then until now, John has become worse up to the point that he would suffer frequent and prolonged spasms, cognitive failures and a series of problems.
Every day Sandra had to help Juan in everything, that means, she had to dress him and so on. His speech was getting worse and it had non-sense. He was not able to communicate, watch TV, read or whatever… he couldn’t practice judo, his favorite sport.
This terrible situation and the stressful life that we find in a city like sevilla, lead the family to come to a decision: change the style of life they have had so far.
This ambitious project, is not only about remodeling the house itself for an individual with a particular disease, we have also the intention of rebuild a home that allows the family to have a better life.
Thinking not only in the self-reliance of Juan, also is important to take into account his happiness and the health of the rest of the family.
Diario de un arquitecto:
´
-Today one of the most complex projects of my career has been proposed to me. One day through the door a couple of middle age came into. The first thing that caught my attention was the exhaustion in her eyes. Next to her, an apparently healthy man, but later I realized that he wasn’t what he pretended to be. With this premise, the project begins.
She wanted to move to another house because, the house was increasingly small and devoid of elements that would make life easier for a husband who had a disease that produced a progressive degeneration of mental and motor. The couple looked for a quiet and spacious place. They found it in 40 kilometers north of Seville (37 ° 40'33.4 "N 6 ° 11'15.7" W) with views to the reservoir Minilla A detached house built by architect Emilio Ambasz that met all the requirements they were looking for, but it needed an overhaul that would allow them to face the challenges ahead.
From the current 40 to 48, the husband has undergone an evolution of disease that reaches its final stage passing about 15 years approximately after the first symptoms begin. During their first visit Sandra started to tell me the story of her husband’s disease.
John, the husband, began to have trouble at work. He was increasingly distracted and distant from both his family and his workmates. With the pass of time this situation leads Juan to a depression and this fact made the familiar situation worse. This is compounded by memory loss and a series of involuntary grimaces that were virtually undetectable at first but gradually intensified.
At this point and after several medical tests doctors said that it was unusual Huntington's disease. Moreover they told them that the disease would continue degenerating and it would be a difficult situation for the whole family, including children.
From then until now, John has become worse up to the point that he would suffer frequent and prolonged spasms, cognitive failures and a series of problems.
Every day Sandra had to help Juan in everything, that means, she had to dress him and so on. His speech was getting worse and it had non-sense. He was not able to communicate, watch TV, read or whatever… he couldn’t practice judo, his favorite sport.
This terrible situation and the stressful life that we find in a city like sevilla, lead the family to come to a decision: change the style of life they have had so far.
This ambitious project, is not only about remodeling the house itself for an individual with a particular disease, we have also the intention of rebuild a home that allows the family to have a better life.
Thinking not only in the self-reliance of Juan, also is important to take into account his happiness and the health of the rest of the family.
Diario de un arquitecto:
-Hoy me han
propuesto uno de los proyectos más complejos a los que me haya enfrentado, en
mi carrera profesional. (Un día) Por la puerta entró una pareja de mediana
edad. Lo primero que llamó mi atención fue el agotamiento en los ojos de la
mujer. A su lado, había un hombre aparentemente, sano que más tarde descubriría
que no era así. Con esta premisa(visita) comenzó este proyecto.
Ella quería cambiar de casa ya que la suya se le estaba quedando cada
vez más pequeña y vacía(escasa) de elementos que hiciesen fácil la vida de su
marido. Él padecía una enfermedad que le producía una progresiva degeneración
psíquica y motriz. La pareja buscaba un lugar apartado, tranquilo y espacioso.
Lo encontraron 40 kilómetros al norte de Sevilla (37°40'33.4"N
6°11'15.7"W) con vistas al embalse de Minilla y en cuya finca había toros
en libertad. Una vivienda unifamiliar construida por el arquitecto Emilio
Ambasz, que reunía todos los requisitos que andaban buscando, pero que
necesitaba una remodelación que les permitiera afrontar las dificultades
venideras.
Desde los 40 hasta los 48 años actuales, el marido ha sufrido una
evolución de la enfermedad, la cual llegará a su etapa final transcurridos 15
años aproximadamente después de que comiencen los primeros síntomas. Durante su
primera visita, Sandra comenzó a contarme la historia de la enfermedad que
estaba desmembrando la unión familiar.
Juan, que así se llama el marido, comenzó a tener problemas en el
trabajo, andaba cada vez más distraído y distante tanto de su familia como de
sus compañeros. Con el paso del tiempo esto derivó en una depresión, que lejos
de ir a mejor empeoraba cada día y complicaba cada vez más su vida familiar.
Esto se agravaba con las pérdidas de memoria y una serie de muecas
involuntarias que al principio eran prácticamente indetectables, pero que poco
a poco se intensificaron.
Llegado a este punto y tras varias pruebas médicas detectaron que se
trataba de la inusual enfermedad de Huntington. Los médicos les informaron de
que la enfermedad continuaría degenerando y que deberían afrontar una situación
difícil para toda la familia, incluidos sus dos hijos.
Desde ese momento hasta ahora, Juan ha ido empeorando hasta sufrir
espasmos cada vez más frecuentes y prolongados, fallos cognitivos y una serie
de problemas que dificultan su día a día. Cada jornada comenzaba con Sandra
ayudando a Juan a asearse, vestirse y desayunar, continuaba lleno de
conversaciones cada vez más complicadas y con un Juan impotente, incapaz de realizar las acciones más
cotidianas como pueden ser leer, ver la tele, comer o practicar su deporte
favorito, el judo. Esto producía (provocaba) que la relación, ya no solo con
Sandra, sino con sus hijos también,
comenzase a oxidarse y hacerse cada vez más costosa. Esto, unido al estrés que conlleva
vivir en pleno centro de Sevilla, llevó a la familia a tomar la decisión de
cambiar radicalmente su estilo de vida.
Y por esto nos hallamos hoy aquí.
Este ambicioso proyecto que tenemos entre manos tiene como objetivo no
solo la remodelación de la casa en sí para adaptarla a una persona con una
enfermedad concreta, sino para reconstruir una vivienda que permita a los
cuatro volver a tener una vida plena. Pensando no solo en la dependencia de
Juan, sino en la felicidad y salud del resto de su familia.
