This is how the house adapts to the environment, it closes to the north and opens to the south. The surrounding terrain protects and gives inertia to the enclosures that regulate the interior temperature, resulting in the house being enjoyed differently depending on the time of day and time of year.
Description of project by Trespes.arquitectos
The house in Ribela is the result of an intense dialogue. In the first instance, between two families who decide to share a plot and, on the other hand, the place.
Integrating the home into the landscape is a design decision. The plot forms the limit of the rural nucleus and it is tried to minimize its landscape impact. This is a very anthropized territory. The agricultural terraces, so common on the banks of the Miño and Sil, showed us how the insertion of the house should be in the topography.
The intersection of the landscape and the relationships between the three main pieces (Existing House, New House and Pool) causes the need to obtain a common “0 level”. Thus came the idea of burying the house and creating a limited and intimate space for the new residence.
The proposal is based on the scheme of the traditional southern house in the province of Ourense, which is organized around a courtyard enclosed by large walls. In this typology it is accessed through a large wooden gate. Next to this wall were the services [Bodega, Alpendres y Almacenes] and the Hórreo. From the patio, a staircase led to the house on the top floor, below the stables.
The excavated patio of the house works exactly the same, the service rooms [Garage, Installations / storage room, Multipurpose room, Kitchen, Toilet, Games room and Laundry / Clothesline] open to it. On the contrary, the served spaces [Living Room and Bedrooms] open onto the plot. The staircase goes up to the watchtower that is the walkable vegetation cover, an incredible place to get lost contemplating the beautiful meander of the Miño river.
The house adapts to the environment, closes to the north and opens to the south [breaking the corners of the living room and bedrooms]. Cross ventilation is sought [Patio-Parcela]. The surrounding terrain protects it and gives inertia to the rooms that regulate the interior temperature. The house will be enjoyed differently depending on the time of day and the time of year.
In the hot summers of Ourense, life takes place inside the patio in the morning. In the afternoon, the kitchen terrace and the swimming pools are the most privileged places. In winters, the width of the patio does not obscure the rooms, making the plot the most used outdoor space.
