Situation and location.
The plot is located in a residential area in the Sierra de Madrid. It is a plot that has an east-westo rientation with a steep slope. A large mass of granitic rock typical of the Madrid mountains occupies the entire plot. The house takes on a dominant position and occupies the upper part of the plot, leaving the rest empty. In order to respect the rock and vegetation of the plot, the house is raised above the ground and adaptsto it through platforms that descend. In turn, the house embraces the existing vegetation.
Orientation and volumetry
The passive strategies applied to the project force us to “rotate” the orientation of the home in terms ofattraction. The house faces west but opens to the south. This turn occurs in two planes. One lower andone upper. The house adopts a volumetry that is reminiscent of old industrial warehouses with saw teeth as if it werea mountain range. These south-facing skylights allow maximum sunlight to be captured in winter, while in summer they arecovered with their small overhang, thus preventing overheating inside. The house relates to the environment throughout its perimeter, approaching and dialogizingwith the existing trees, surrounding them and even touching them at certain points.
Access and program (platforms and levels)
The main access to the house is located in the highest area of the plot,located on the west side of it. Thisallows for a feeling of small, almost domestic scale of the volumes. The program is developed on two platforms. The first touches and even sinks slightly with respect to the ground and contains the bulk of the house. The second, slightly below, rises from the ground following the natural slope of the plot. At the same time, the program differentiates the day area from the night area by placing the bedrooms inan arm almost independent of the rest of the house as if it were another house. The kitchen is located in the area where both platforms meet, the lowest platform being the one that houses the living room ofthe house. Construction system and materiality
The construction strategy is based on respect for the orography and the existing vegetation. For this reason, the house is resolved through a system of prefabricated load-bearing walls formed by CLTwooden panels located on two platforms of prefabricated hollow core slabs. Through industrialization, we minimize the impact on the environment, while cutting execution times. In the interior, this CLT also acquires a decorative character and is visible in a large part of the house. On the exterior, a system of external insulation SATE acts as a continuous skin throughout the entire volumetry.
