Rationalist Route II - 10. Van Hoey-Smith Houses

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Routes · Subcategory: Rationalism route · Year: 1939 · Authors: Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre

These two houses designed by the architect Miguel Martín Fernández de la Torre in 1939 for the shipowner of Dutch origin James van Hoey-Smith are one of the last works of rationalist aesthetics conceived by the great Gran Canarian architect.

Located in one of the most privileged areas of Ciudad Jardín, the two twin and symmetrical houses are arranged parallel to the layout of the streets (Hermanos García de la Torre and Pío XII), sharing a magnificent curved porticoed porch, in front of which unfolds a splendid garden plot. The volumes are freed at the corner through the appearance of terraces.

There is an evident differentiation in the treatment of the openings and surfaces of the two floors: on the lower one, the size of the windows, the position of the pillars and the use of the tirolesa render; on the upper one, the closure elements of the openings are completely different.

The rooftop is an additional useful space, with two intersecting planes offering a covered area, while also configuring an original finish to the building.

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