Electricity
By the end of the XIX century there was a massive expansion of electricity that reached the homes of the population. This led to the replace of gas public and private illumination systems, and advances of the technology of domestic appliances that made life easier and more comfortable.
Analyzing the building's illumination, we see one of the clear signs that the house had access to electricity. In the original photos, we can see cables reaching as a curve to the lamps, which Amancio put a lot of care in their design, treating them as the other furniture and details of the house. There were three types: the ceiling lamps, the wall lamps, and another furniture lamps.
The ceiling lamps were a circular ring with the lightbulb on its centre, that illuminated the floor directly.
The wall lamps were used in two forms: there were the ones fixed to the wall by a vertical arm, with the cable exposed in its bottom, forming a curve to the wall, that sent the light to the ceiling to illuminate indirectly the rooms; and there is another variety, where the lamps are movable by an extensible arm, that send the light directly to a concrete surface, like in the study room or in the bathrooms.
Daytime zone from , marking the illumination
Kitchen (original state), marking the illumination and the stove.
Taking a look at the kitchen pictures, we see some kind of beverage boiler (like for tea, coffe or milk) in a small cabinet hanging by the wall on the right. It had two tray cabinets below, one of them with holes on it, meaning that the boiler may have needed the use of wood or carbon to work.
But, in the case of the kitchen stove, it does not look like a gas stove as there is no structure built to elevate the pots over the flame. The electric stove was first patented in 1920, and they became very popular because they were much more easy to clean, so the kitchen in Casa sobre el Arroyo must have been equipped one of those new stoves powered by electricity.
The refrigerator seems to have been powered by electricity too It was installed right next to the beverage boiler, over a thicker section of the slab, and with a ventilation duct directed to the rooftop.
In the other hand, apparently there is no television installation. It would be curious that Amancio didn't think of the future of the TV as something important to be included in the Casa sobre el Arroyo.
The television was first invented in the 1920's in England, and there were regular broadcasts in the 1930's. It's true that the TV didn't emit in Argentina until 1951, what may be the reason that Amancio discarded the idea. Another option is that the requirements of a TV installation weren't clear in the moment. But the most compelling reason could have been that this building was designed for his elder parents (not used with the technology), to connect with nature, composing music, and having a relaxed life, and the TV may disrupt with the function of the house.
The question now is how did they conduct the electric network through the building.We can build the hypothesis that the principal electric tubes went all around the inside of the façade, and also in the longitudinal wall in the center of the flor plan, inside the closets, where there also are installed some wall lamps.
Nowadays, the general electrical network travel travels the streets by overhead power lines, suspended by wooden posts. When it reaches the Casa sobre el Arroyo land, it is eventually buried and enters the house through the installations room located in the lower floor.
The electric network is very important in this building because, even of the innovation it was in its time, we can compare it easily to one designed in the actuality.
Following what is seen in the photos, we can locate some electrical plugs and lamps. In the following floor plan, we can graphically summarize how those tubes may have been installed:
Corridor (original state), marking the illumination.
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