Madrid-based studio Canobardin was commissioned to design a home, a studio house, on a plot of land in the municipality of Pozuelo de Alarcón. The proposal resolves a dual program that blends the professional activity of its occupants with the domestic nature of the home, addressing the needs for privacy and everyday life of those who live there, work in the studio, and interact with neighbours.

The site slopes upward from the northeast entrance to the southwest, influencing the layout and orientation of the studio house. The project proposes a home conceived as a single, single-story volume, partially buried and adapted to the topography, with the attached studio volume connected and accessible independently. 

The house proposed by Canobardin was designed as a relaxing living and working space, composed of a main volume, parallel to the street alignment, which acts as a visual barrier and houses the main spaces, and a studio, attached to the back of the house, accessed by a separate path through a courtyard that establishes a connection with the surroundings and nature.

The house studio is organized into two distinct main areas, following a gradient of privacy articulated by the treatment of light and combined with white finishes. On the left side are the bedrooms, sheltered by wide load-bearing walls; on the opposite side are the kitchen, living area, and garden, with glass-enclosed spaces that connect to the studio, characterized by its large glass enclosures and its break with the proportions and straight shapes of the main volume.

House-Studio by Canobardin. Photograph by Imagen Subliminal

House-Studio by Canobardin. Photograph by Imagen Subliminal.

Project description by Canobardin

On an 800 m² plot in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), sits this Studio-House developed by the Canobardin architectural firm and created for its everyday needs. This building challenges the boundaries between work and home, public and private, yet simultaneously integrates into the natural environment and guarantees privacy from neighbors and between those who live in the House or work in the Studio.

The site has an upward slope that extends from the northeast entrance to the southwest, influencing the layout and orientation of this Studio-House. The single-story building, partially buried in the ground, adapts to the topography, creating a sense of isolation and privacy from the taller neighboring houses.

The building is perceived as a single volume, but actually has a workspace and a living area, both distinct on the floor plan and with completely independent entrances.

House-Studio by Canobardin. Photograph by Imagen Subliminal.
House-Studio by Canobardin. Photograph by Imagen Subliminal.

From the exterior of the plot, the first thing one notices is the volume occupied by the Studio, parallel to the street, which also acts as a visual barrier and hides the House behind it. The Studio was designed as a double-height box with a mezzanine. Natural light enters the room through two large windows of different shapes and sizes. Canobardin's interior design is minimalist, combining pure white walls with wood details around them.

The House is attached to the Studio and is accessed via a separate path. This ensures that studio visitors do not interfere with family life, thus separating the two worlds. Upon entering the home, the first thing one encounters is a light well with diverse vegetation that creates a fresh atmosphere and brings natural light into the interior. The architects' symbolic intention in designing this small courtyard was to create a place of calm and connection with nature within the home itself.

The internal layout of the House is organized into two distinct areas. On the left side of this interior courtyard is the private area containing the bedrooms, sheltered by wide load-bearing walls that provide thermal protection and a sense of refuge and privacy. On the opposite side are the kitchen and living areas, which open to the garden through large glass enclosures. It is here that the project leaders created a space that breaks with the proportions and straight lines of the Studio House. A lightweight slab supported by three thin metal pillars anchors this polyhedral space, which also features a vibrant color palette that blends and captures the interior with the exterior. The architects designed this large living and dining room, where natural light floods the space and from which the changing seasons can be observed and enjoyed. The living room features a custom-made sofa that follows the floor plan, a fireplace, and direct access to the garden with a pool.

House-Studio by Canobardin. Photograph by Imagen Subliminal.
House-Studio by Canobardin. Photograph by Imagen Subliminal.

Energy Efficiency and Savings
In the design of the Studio House, the architects sought to make it easy to live in and cost-effective, so they implemented measures that promoted water savings and energy efficiency. To protect the home from excessive sunlight, roller blinds were installed inside the living room. In the garden, a lightweight latticework of hemp ropes was also constructed to filter sunlight inside, while maintaining the visual connection with the landscape. Heating and air conditioning is provided by an underfloor heating/cooling aerothermal system that relies on solar energy capture through photovoltaic solar panels hidden in the roof.

To reduce water consumption, a cistern was installed and buried to collect and store rainwater from the roof, which is then used for irrigation and maintenance of the outdoor spaces.

Canobardin conceived this Studio House as a space that reflects a way of living and working, easy and efficient to maintain, and connected to the garden. A refuge where one could enjoy family, nature, and the passing of the seasons, adapting to the daily needs of all its users.

More information

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Architects
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Canobardin. Lead architects.- Julio Cano + Bárbara Bardin.

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Collaborators
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Architecture.- María Barreu Arnal.
Structures.- Ignacio Isasi Zaragozá.
Facilities.- Lorenzo Sánchez del Campo.

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Client
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Privado.

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Area
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Plot.- 800 sqm.
Constructed area.- 180 sqm.

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Dates
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2024.

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Location
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La Cabaña, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain.

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Manufacturers
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Carpentry - Laimar Wood Art.
Solar Photovoltaic - Tesla Plus.
Aerothermal Energy - Jorge Solano.
Metalwork - Pedro López.

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Photography
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Imagen Subliminal (Miguel de Guzmán + Rocío Romero).

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Julio Cano and Bárbara Bardin are the founding architects of Canobardin. A young architecture and design studio that edits its own designs, creating special pieces for individuals and also in collaboration with other design studios.

Julio Cano was born in Madrid 1986. Graduated architect in Madrid 2013. He was always interested on traditional architecture and its relation to the local climate and materials as a way of sustainability .He was involved on several projects of rehabilitation

Since 2013 then, he worked in Selgascano, where he was involved in important projects such as Plasencia auditorium or Secondhome offices in Lisboa and London. In 2017 he decided to form his own studio “Canobardin” along with Bárbara Bardin.

Bárbara Bardin was born in Madrid 1987. Graduated architect in ETSA Madrid in 2012. During the degree she collaborated in studios like Selgascano, Ezquiaga architects, Iñaki Carnicero, as well as investigation schollarships at the university.

After her studies, she collaborated with several studios such as Selgascano, Irisarri Piñera, Ezquiaga, and Iñaki Carnicero.

Since 2012 she worked with Selgascano and she was involved in projects such as the TN Building in Stockholm, the Serpentine Pavillion, Secondhome offices, the Martell pavilion, etc In 2017 she decided to form his own studio “Canobardin” along with Julio Cano.
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Published on: March 15, 2025
Cite: "A puzzle of domestic ideas. House-Studio by Canobardin" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/puzzle-domestic-ideas-house-studio-canobardin> ISSN 1139-6415
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