NESTLED ON A DREAM PLOT WITH INCREDIBLE SEA VIEWS AND BORDERING A MEDITERRANEAN FOREST OF PINE AND OLIVE TREES, THIS PASSIVE HOME PRIORITIZES WELL-BEING THROUGH ESSENTIAL BIOCLIMATIC STRATEGIES AND THE USE OF NATURAL MATERIALS.

SITE IMPLEMENTATION

The house is situated on the last plot of a hillside development in the Maresme coast, an exceptional plot with incredible sea views and bordering a green area of Mediterranean pine and olive forest.

Despite its unparalleled conditions, the plot has the particularity of a steep east-west slope.

Access from the street is at the top of the plot; from there, the descending slope begins along a longitudinal development with excellent south orientation, culminating in exceptional sea views.

Starting, as always, from maximizing solar energy utilization, as well as a coherent implementation on a steeply sloping plot, we decided to propose a development in different volumes that succeed and adapt as we descend in elevation.

Thus, the project is oriented south but offers east-facing views, where the sea and the beautiful coastal towns of the Maresme area can be seen.

PROGRAM AND BIOCLIMATIC STRATEGY

The family requested a large program that could accommodate private and common spaces for various study and work activities, as well as uses throughout the week and during holiday periods.

A total of five bedrooms and a guest area are required, located on the upper level, offering better views but more disconnected from the outdoor recreation areas, where we find it more coherent to place the night program.

The lower floors house the common living, dining, and recreation areas, with full connection to the outdoor pool and garden space, in a dreamlike setting surrounded by native pine and olive trees.

Having a perfectly south-oriented longitudinal facade with excellent solar gain options during winter months, the distribution strategy places all daily use spaces on the south side, while service areas such as bathrooms, installations, or pantry are located on the north strip. This is not only because they will be sporadically used spaces but also because they are smaller areas that function well as thermal buffers for the cold facade.

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM AND NATURAL MATERIALS

The project starts with a compact floor plan to maximize solar gain in winter and achieve effective north-south cross-ventilation in summer.

The house’s structure combines walls and thermal mass slabs based on ceramic pieces with an additional cross-laminated timber structure.

The facades combine the cross-laminated structure with an exterior stone cladding that reduces the visual impact of the retaining wall. The exterior walls are self-supporting with a double leaf and intermediate insulation, thus avoiding thermal bridges throughout the house.

ENERGY AND WATER MANAGEMENT

Although demand reduction is ensured by a constructive system that achieves high thermal inertia, accumulating temperature maintained by high insulation, as well as excellent solar capture and protection, an active heating and cooling system was requested by the client, which is resolved through an aerothermal system.

Air renewal is carried out by a heat recovery unit, all powered by photovoltaic panels.

Water management consists of a greywater recovery system that channels water to a tank where it is filtered for reuse in irrigation.