Joan J. Fortuny - Arquitecte and Alventosa Morell Arquitectes have designed a public protection housing development in Inca, a town in the heart of Mallorca, Spain. In 2020, Joan J. Fortuny connected with Alventosa Morell Arquitectes to form Fortuny – Alventosa Morell arquitectes, with a focus on the development of public/social housing projects. This project in Inca consists of 54 public protection homes, crafted with an emphasis on minimizing their environmental impact, maximizing spatial quality and comfort, and promoting social and economic responsibility. (In Spain, public protection homes are subsidized and will have a lower price than the market value.)
The project for the Balearic Housing Institute (Instituto Balear de la Vivienda — IBAVI) is built on a 3,266-square-meter (35,155-square-feet) rectangular-shaped plot. The building has been organized along a north–south axis, creating two volumes with a public space between them. Housing modules are arranged around a central wet core that defines daytime and nighttime areas in accordance with the site’s characteristics.
“It is a building where we begin to study its environmental impact from a holistic point of view, allowing us to be much more effective in terms of design,” says Fortuny – Alventosa Morell arquitectes. Homes have private gardens, terraces, or patios, allowing excessive summer heat to be regulated through passive strategies. All homes have cross ventilation and solar protection; there is a high level of thermal inertia from concrete slabs and ceramic coatings; hygroscopic (moisture-absorbing) materials (ceramics, mineral paint, and lime mortar) are used throughout. “Finishing and materials are strictly related to circularity, prioritizing those that are vernacular and working with local industry or craftsmen,” say the architects.
The facade is made up of a double ceramic sheet with recycled cotton insulation; exterior insulation is a combination of projected cork and coarse lime mortar developed by local firms.
Solar protection is provided by the vernacular Mediterranean wooden shutters — made from FSC-certified larch wood, they are manufactured by local artisans.
Interior clay floors are fired with biomass.
Domestic hot water is produced using a NUOS Aerothermal system (air source heat pump); homes are ventilated using heat recovery; energy is provided by photovoltaic panels.
Rainwater is captured on roofs and patios using cisterns; permeable paving allows water to drain into the subsoil.
The inclusion of local tree varieties increases protection from the sun.
The project was designed with respect to the climate emergency: the NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) construction has a very low energy demand (0.64 kWh/m2/yr), a water cycle limit of 100 liters per person, and a reduction of 50 percent in CO2 emissions from materials (when compared to similar buildings).
