The project consists of a residential building in Vilanova del Vallès with a total of 26 homes and a parking area, located next to a river park of high environmental value. Its design seeks harmony with the surroundings and maximum comfort for its residents through bioclimatic strategies and sustainable construction solutions.

The building, with a ground floor plus two levels, extends longitudinally with the main facade facing south and the river park to the north. This configuration maximizes solar exposure and enhances the visual connection with the environment.

Access to the homes is organized into three communication cores, and spaces have been reserved in the corners for outdoor parking.

A key requirement of the municipal planning has been to free up 30% of the ground floor to facilitate pedestrian connection between the street and the park. Surface parking spaces have been arranged in this open area, avoiding the excavation of a basement and thus reducing costs and construction complexities associated with the water table.

The homes range from 75 m² to 85 m² and are distributed over the two upper floors, with a total of 13 units per level. Due to the plot’s 16-meter depth, the homes cannot span the entire building, leading to a typological solution that alternates single-facade homes with others that have double orientation thanks to the inclusion of six central courtyards.

These courtyards not only ensure natural lighting and cross-ventilation for north-facing homes but also act as bioclimatic spaces that improve indoor thermal comfort.

The housing typologies include a living area with an integrated kitchen, three bedrooms, and a bathroom. All units have two exterior rooms, while the third opens to the interior courtyards, which function as light-filled atriums.

Generous balconies and the strategic location of kitchens in relation to the courtyards enhance cross-ventilation and connection with the outdoors, ensuring optimal environmental quality.

In winter, the courtyards act as thermal accumulators, capturing solar radiation. As they are not insulated, the walls absorb solar radiation and transfer heat to the interior of the homes, reducing heating demand.

In warmer months, the courtyards open completely, generating air currents that cool the interior of the homes through cross-ventilation without the need for artificial air conditioning.

The building’s design incorporates multiple passive strategies that achieve high levels of thermal and environmental comfort while minimizing energy consumption. Cross-ventilation, enhanced by the central courtyards and the volume’s orientation, is complemented by the installation of fans in the homes, promoting air circulation without compromising relative humidity or indoor air quality.

These measures largely eliminate the need for active air conditioning systems. However, aware that not all users are familiar with highly energy-efficient homes, pre-installation for an air conditioning system (heating-cooling) via fan-coils has been provided. Although not included in the initial delivery, the units can be installed later if required by the occupants.

This balance between traditional bioclimatic strategies, contemporary technical solutions, and use flexibility ensures a healthy, efficient, and adaptable residential experience for different needs and comfort habits.

The project is committed to a sustainable construction system, based on a structural combination of concrete on the ground floor and cross-laminated timber (CLT) on the upper levels. This choice responds to both energy efficiency criteria and the desire to reduce the environmental impact of the construction process.

The CLT structure allows for industrialized, dry, and fast assembly, in addition to ensuring high airtightness and excellent thermal performance. Insulation is applied externally using an ETICS of wood fiber rendered with lime, a solution that improves the building’s energy performance and enhances wall breathability.

Inside, porcelain flooring has been chosen, a solution that contributes to thermal inertia and promotes comfort in the rooms. Natural wood is also present in the exposed finishes of slabs and carpentry, providing warmth, material coherence, and an aesthetic respectful of the project’s sustainable character.

This constructive approach reduces the carbon footprint, improves the building’s overall energy performance, and ensures healthy, comfortable, and durable spaces.