The house designed by Arquid uses the ground floor for domestic activities, such as the kitchen, office and living room, and the upper floors for more private spaces, such as bedrooms. The layout allows large windows on the ground floor that connect with the exterior and offer views and access to the private garden.
The intense interior-exterior relationship with the garden facilitates the relationship with the vegetation in the patios and terraces, improving the environment and ventilation.
Casa Umbral, in addition to adopting strategies focused on sustainability, uses natural materials, implements a geothermal system for air conditioning and takes advantage of solar energy to create a warm environment with a sustainable balance.
Threshold House by Arquid. Photograph by Alberto Amores.
Project description by Arquid
Located in the northeast of Madrid and with a unique ceramic façade, the Casa Umbral home designed by the ARQUID studio is a home that provides serene spaces, effectively protected from the environment and outside noise. The house has been designed with a carefully considered interplay of openings and volumes.
The structural layout of the Casa Umbral single-family home – located in the northeast district of Madrid – is designed to adapt to the family's lifestyle and daily routines, with the main objective of creating a home that provides tranquility and serene spaces, effectively protected from the outside environment and street noise. The ground floor is exclusively used for daily activities, where the kitchen, office and living room are located, while the spaces used at night, such as the bedrooms, are located on an upper level. This layout allows for the incorporation of large windows on the ground floor, which offer views and access to the private garden.
It is made up of four volumes: one facing Gutiérrez Canales Street, which acts as a filter, and the other three opening onto the garden. A combination of materials was used, such as ceramic latticework together with concrete or brick, to create an envelope that maximizes privacy without sacrificing natural light and views. This volumetric arrangement is also reflected in the interior, integrating custom enclosures that connect the main spaces.
The ceramic façade is designed with a modular design that adds a fascinating visual effect to the interior. It is built using very simple terracotta-colored ceramic pieces that create a reticular lattice, sober and elegant. This enormous lattice not only covers the interior glass enclosures, but also hints at two terraces on the upper floor.
True to its name, Casa Umbral is a transitional space where the ceramic solution provides an attractive exterior visual with unique textures and patterns. It serves to regulate the entry of natural light, offering intimacy and privacy in contrast to the dynamism of urban life. This choice of material creates a dialogue between tradition and modernity, while improving the building’s energy efficiency by allowing passive control of the indoor climate.
Interior in balance
The exterior wall influences the interior layout by serving as an integral component of the built-in furniture, effectively dividing and connecting the main living spaces. This configuration creates intimate and secluded spaces within the building, making them more comfortable for the occupants, while maintaining their privacy from the public road.
The interior of the home maximizes the connection with the natural environment and optimizes functionality. With an open and fluid layout, the main spaces, such as the living room, dining room and kitchen, are integrated. Large windows offer panoramic views of the garden while allowing natural light to enter. The choice of neutral colors and natural materials creates a serene and sophisticated environment. The use of soft-finished wood in the interior carpentry, such as the doors, stands out, creating a balance between contemporary aesthetics and nature.
Eco-conscious architecture
This home adopts advanced eco-conscious strategies. One of them is to encourage vegetation in the patios and terraces. Beyond merely improving the interior environment, these exterior design interventions facilitate air purification and improve indoor air quality. A geothermal system has also been implemented for air conditioning, taking advantage of the energy from the subsoil to provide heating and cooling efficiently. In addition, provision has been made for the installation of photovoltaic panels in the future, which will allow solar energy to be generated and further reduce the energy consumption of the home. Finally, an electric car charger has been incorporated into the garage, facilitating the transition towards more sustainable mobility.
Perfectly organized and resolved, the new residential building designed by ARQUID creates thresholds through which the occupants access the rest of the spaces in the home.
