THE FAMILY WHO OWNS THIS HOUSE IS LOOKING FOR COMPACTNESS AND A TOTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN SPACES on an ELONGATED PLOT WITH A VERY NARROW SOUTH FAÇADE, which REQUIRES US TO FIND STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE EFFECTIVE SOLAR EXPOSURE IN THE INTERIOR ROOMS.

In the first meetings with the family, the option of carrying out a project that can add spaces is raised. They propose the possibility of combining the bedroom and living room unit, the entrance hall and dining room, or having the study as an open room that can be incorporated into the previous spaces.

PROJECT SITE PLANNING

The elongated shape of the plot conditions the project; we have a narrow façade just ten metres long. In addition, the aim of compactness and a total connection between rooms leads us to explore design options that allow us to bring sunlight and solar heat into the interior.

Thus, the project starts from an almost square floor plan that uses two strategies to gain solar exposure. The first is the introduction of a side courtyard that creates a new south-facing façade at the rear of the house. The second is raising the roof, generating a series of slopes reminiscent of an industrial building, which allows us to create skylights that bring light and sun into the central rooms of the home.

The daytime areas—living room, dining room and kitchen—are located on the main south-facing façade. Behind them, in an intermediate strip, is the entrance hall, accessed through the courtyard and used as a small reading room, as well as the main bedroom. On the north façade are the walk-in wardrobe, bathrooms, plant room and an open study.

The house allows for a wide range of internal circulation and can be understood as an open loft in which all rooms are connected, and where it is possible to separate each area depending on its use.

bioclimatic strategy

Having a very compact floor plan is, in itself, a key strategy to reduce energy losses through the façade. This compactness is only interrupted by the introduction of a courtyard that allows us to gain solar exposure in the north-facing room.

In addition, raising the roof allows us to bring in light and heat, creating additional south-facing openings.

In summer, we protect the openings and open up the south façade—sheltered by a porch and louvre enclosures that allow us to control solar exposure—and the north façade, enabling effective cross-ventilation thanks to the compactness of the plan.

It is important that paving on the plot is minimal and concentrated in the access areas to the house and the porch. In this way, the natural ground, full of centuries-old olive trees, helps to moderate the outdoor temperature thanks to the earth’s thermal inertia which, together with the pre-existing trees that have been preserved as much as possible, allows us to enjoy the outdoor areas even in the hottest months.

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM and finishes

When carrying out the geotechnical study, we found a subsoil with expansive clays. The adopted solution is based on foundation pits sunk to great depth, so that we bypass the clay layer until reaching the load-bearing stratum.

From a construction standpoint, a ventilated façade is proposed, with a double brick wall and insulation between leaves, achieving thermal mass inside that is protected on its exterior face.

A cross-laminated timber roof structure bears on these walls, effectively resolving the different inclinations as well as the skylight openings.

All joinery and doors are timber, and on the south façade they are protected with adjustable timber louvred shutters.

The finishes are conceived with an industrial appearance, leaving the brick walls unrendered and the services exposed (so as not to lose wall thickness with chases). The timber roof is left exposed and protected on the outside with sheet metal, a material that is also used to resolve the south-facing outdoor pergola.

FACILITIES

The clients very much enjoy lighting the fireplace, so we took the opportunity to install a thermo-stove which, when operating, is connected to a hot-water tank for bathrooms and heating.

As this is a location with a very cold climate, a ventilation system with a heat recovery unit is proposed. It uses the stove’s heat to preheat the fresh air, which absorbs heat from the extracted air before being introduced indoors for renewal and distributed to each room.

Photographs: Salva López