For this house, KVPA has planned the layout with the aim of achieving maximum use of the surface area thanks to the optimization of routes, spatial flexibility and rationalization of the facilities. In addition, thanks to the strategic position of its windows at the ends of the house, natural ventilation is facilitated by taking advantage of the local air currents coming from the stream, reinforcing its relationship with the context together with a series of interior-exterior visual axes that provide abundant light and allow multiple views towards the privileged natural environment.
The house appears as a compact volume that integrates with the environment thanks to the use of materials such as lime mortar and pine wood, with a set of metal elements that generate two porches that define the main access points of the house.
One of the premises of the project was to achieve a home with low energy demand and based on the use of healthy materials and finishes, so the construction is planned with walls of cellular concrete blocks finished with a mineral wool SATE system and lime plaster on the outside, allowing for high insulation performance together with high thermal inertia, making the home an excellent example of sustainable construction.
Oratge House by Kokudev Padilla Arquitectura. Photograph by Pol Viladoms.
Project description by Kokudev Padilla Arquitectura
This is a project for a house for a young family with two children who decided to move from the city to the Montseny Natural Park in search of tranquillity and contact with the natural environment. The starting point for the commission was the desire of the owners to make the most of the house's outdoor spaces, taking advantage of the privileged position of the plot, which offers views of the mountain and the nearby forest of the stream.
This same desire to maximise direct contact between the interior spaces and the garden is materialised in a two-storey linear building located at the north-west end of the plot, freeing up the south-east part of the plot as much as possible and taking advantage of the sunlight and the views towards the forest of the stream. Despite its compact appearance, the house has a permeable relationship with the exterior, as it arranges the main common areas (living room, dining room-kitchen and study) in a longitudinal direction and with direct access to the garden. The upper floor houses the most private spaces in the house, including the bedrooms, bathroom, a second study and a laundry room.
The living room is located at the southern end of the building and connects vertically with the study on the second floor, thus creating a double-height space that provides spaciousness, spatial richness and natural light to the interior spaces. This area also acts as a thermal regulator for the house, as the openable skylight on the roof allows efficient heat dissipation during the summer months, taking advantage of the "chimney" effect that this high space generates.
The layout of the house is designed with the aim of achieving maximum use of the surface area thanks to the optimization of the routes, spatial flexibility and rationalization of the facilities. The arrangement of the different areas reinforces a series of interior-exterior visual axes that provide abundant light and allow multiple views of the privileged natural environment. Likewise, the strategic position of the opening windows at the ends of the house facilitates natural ventilation by taking advantage of the local air currents coming from the stream. In turn, the interior finishes highlight the different natural materials that make up the construction.
On the outside, the house appears as a compact volume that blends in with the surroundings thanks to the use of materials such as lime mortar and pine wood. In turn, a set of metal elements generates two porches that define the main access points of the house. On the east-facing façade, a linear porch is proposed in front of the garden that is configured as a multipurpose structure since it allows coverage with light and mobile shading elements that adapt to the variable solar protection requirements that this orientation demands. On the west-facing corner, a second porch is generated that defines the entrance and generates a metal lattice that filters the views towards the loft-laundry room located on the upper floor. All these metal elements are also intended as supports for climbing plants that, over time, will end up generating sections of "vegetal skin" that will provide solar protection to the facades most exposed to the sun and, at the same time, will allow the house to blend in with the surrounding vegetation.
One of the premises of the project was to achieve a home with a low energy demand and based on the use of healthy materials and finishes. For this reason, the construction is planned with walls of cellular concrete blocks finished with a mineral wool SATE system and lime plaster on the outside, which allows for high insulation performance together with high thermal inertia and a high degree of breathability and hydro-regulation of the envelope. These qualities of the architectural envelope combined with a series of solar control elements (porches, exterior shutters, plant lattices) and natural ventilation facilitated by the set of practicable openings in the facades and the roof, allow us to maintain comfortable conditions inside the house, eliminating the need to incorporate air conditioning systems for most of the year.
