The new house is integrated into the built environment respecting the views of the neighbours and orienting the views towards the vineyards and the sea. A staggered construction is proposed that adapts to the existing topography, with the appearance of a green courtyard that manages to ventilate all the rooms and favors cross ventilation. This strategy integrates the new construction into the built continuum that acts as the plinth of the Castell de Sant Genís.
Pre-existing
The house recognises the difference in level between the street and the garden and places the day area (living-dining-kitchen) in direct connection with the garden, following the existing slope in a staggered manner with hardly any earthworks.
At the same time, the house consolidates an unstable party wall of masonry of considerable height.
A neighbouring wooden house on the ground floor and the unevenness of the land with a neighbouring earth retaining wall with a lot of presence.
As it has two streets, with two entrances, it is proposed to reinterpret the regulations and consider the ground floor at garden level, so that the house is semi-buried allowing the views of the neighbouring house to be respected and to take advantage of the level of the garden for the day area.
Typology
The new construction dialogues with the built environment of Mediterranean houses, simple and functional.
The program is arranged at half levels, bringing the day area closer to the garden to enjoy the mild and Mediterranean climate of the area. It also allows access to the roof terrace to enjoy the magnificent sea views.
The aim is to achieve a summer house for the whole year taking advantage of the good climate, with shaded spaces, interior plant patios, hygroscopic natural materials, gardens and fireplace. A house for the good life.
The program is left open since at the beginning of the project the clients are a couple with two children with the idea of expanding the family by 1 or 2 more children.
4 rooms of the same size and a shared workspace are proposed that can always be converted into an additional room. The 2 bathrooms are shared for the whole family.
Relationship with the context
The Mediterranean and neighbourhood character of the pedestrian access street is preserved with the appearance of only one gate that leads to the access courtyard. The house is left behind, after a short walk in the garden. From the access level the house has one floor, like the neighbouring wooden house.
When accessed, a ladder allows access to the roof or continue down to the house in steps, with half levels, with a staircase that rests on the interior courtyard full of vegetation.
On the lower floor the house has two floors, like the neighbouring building and a porch that occupies part of the garden extending the house to the outside, to enjoy the weather and the good life.
It is also possible for the house to be integrated into the plinth, disappearing, so that the final image of the existing castle is reinforced
Construction system
The economical construction system of load-bearing walls and ceilings with exposed ceramic vault with concrete joists that refers to the Catalan construction tradition is combined with technological concrete walls with micropyles to allow the house to be buried without danger to the stability of the existing party wall and the neighbour’s wooden construction.
The sanitary slabs protect from humidity and radon gas characteristic of the area. The roofs/roofs of ceramic type "terrat català" allow a leisure space and privileged views.
Sustainability
Passive systems have made it possible not to propose any means of heating or cooling in the house. Just a fireplace in the living room.
The exposed concrete pavement gives it thermal inertia and achieves a calm and calm atmosphere. The reed porch and rope shutters typical of vernacular constructions allow the thermal regulation of the house, which is also regulated through the central and rear courtyard that allows the breeze to penetrate the entire house, achieving good cross ventilation.
The mild climate near the sea, the hours of sunshine in winter and the existing breezes allow the house to regulate itself only passively, achieving the necessary comfort in each season.
As in vernacular constructions, only the inertia of the construction, in this case favoured by having 60% of the house buried, in contact with the ground, and the appearance of green courtyards, help to achieve an n-zeb house.
