nnarquitectos: The project was commissioned by a couple with three children, with the premise that the social spaces should be the protagonists, allowing a fluid social life.
It is located on a flat 1,500m² plot with a South-facing front and a North-facing rear. The house occupies the front, blocking it off, and extends along the West side in order to provide the social area with Northern exposure and encourage cross-ventilation. The general program is located on the ground floor, except for the studio, which is on the upper floor, taking advantage of a large terrace.
One of the design premises was to achieve intimacy and austerity from the exterior facade, without allowing the interior or its activities to be visible from the street, but transforming into something completely open and fluid from the social areas to the garden.
For the entrance, two walls were arranged: one hides an interior light courtyard, and the other hides the garage. On one side, there is the pedestrian entrance, which is diagonal and guided by one of the two textured concrete walls leading to the second wall. On the other side, there is the vehicular and service entrance, which creates an open space under the heaviest part of the volume. It plays with lightness and visual weightlessness by offsetting supports and circulation paths, while at the same time exposing every structural element. This dynamic is seen again in the slab that covers the dining area, with three inverted beams in one direction and a perpendicular beam hanging to support the gallery, attempting to create the most fluid connection between the front and rear patios.
The social area consists of a living room, dining room, and kitchen on the ground floor, connected by double height to the studio on the upper floor. These spaces blur their boundaries through movable carpentry, transforming into a large gallery that opens to the front and rear patios.
Regarding its structural design, it is worth highlighting the robustness and honest exposure of the elements that support the various roofs or parts. There are no "illusory" elements; rather, each volume, partition, beam, and column exposes its relationship. The upper volume is a square base of 10 meters per side, supported by columns offset in a counter-clockwise direction 2 meters from each corner. This support is transferred to four beams that form the roof, which are self-supporting and work together in a "reciprocal" way.
The bioclimatic design became a key feature through the inclusion of devices that allow cross-ventilation in every room. The private area has, within each bedroom, an air renewal system created by skylights that allow air circulation even when the door is closed. Additionally, in the distribution hallway, the clerestory windows that mark the entrances to the various rooms have opposing windows, which are automated and promote natural ventilation and lighting.
