An existing space is never an empty starting point. It already contains decisions, materials, proportions, light, traces of use and often a history that has accumulated over time.
Before changing it, we try to understand which of those things already have value.
Sometimes it is obvious: a good proportion, an original material, a piece of craftsmanship or a particular relationship to daylight. Sometimes the useful part is less visible. It might be an old circulation pattern, a domestic habit, an imperfect surface, a view, or simply the character that has developed through years of use.
Keeping something does not mean freezing a space in time. Existing elements can become the basis for a different program, a new function or another way of living with the place. A material can remain while its surroundings change. A room can take on a different use. An object can acquire a new role. A historical layer can stay visible without determining the entire visual language of the project.
This is also how we think about heritage. Its value can be architectural, material, cultural, local or domestic. What matters is identifying what carries meaning and deciding how that can remain active in the next version of the space.
Working with what already exists often produces more specific projects because the starting conditions cannot simply be reproduced somewhere else. The project grows from what is particular to that building, interior, object or context.
The question is therefore not only what we can add. It is also what already deserves to remain, and what new use or value can be built around it.