House LLP / Alventosa Morell Arquitectes

Architects: Alventosa Morell Arquitectes
Location: Serra de Collserola, 08980, Barcelona, Spain
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Adrià Goula

Design Team: Josep Maria Alventosa, Marc Alventosa i Xavier Morell
Builder Company: Nix Profusta
Structures Calculist: Crespiera Simó Diagonal Arquitectura SLP

From the architect. This building has been designed after the request, of two sisters, for a bioclimatic house where to live together and independent at the same time. So the project focuses on these clients’ needs. The building plot enjoys views over the Collserola mount, and it is on a uniform and deep pitch, (30%).

After the bioclimatic study of this exact point we decided the strategies of the project, in order to maximise the environmental and thermal performance, and to follow the equivalent demands to a passive house. We improve the comfort of the building by:

– Compaction.

– Capture and sun protection.

– Thermal resistance.

– Cross ventilation.

On the other hand, as we did not want to modify the original plot and to better adapt to the topography of the land, our project was founded on only two retaining walls which are parallel with the contour lines. These retaining walls support a lightweight wooden construction. This wooden frame is formed by five wall framings which are perpendicular to the concrete walls. This five framing walls organize the different spaces of the house with the idea that each women could have two rooms, a dining and a sitting room, a bathroom, a kitchen and a terrace to implement the main rooms.

This compact construction and of a big thermal resistance, frame the landscape facing south through the fully grazed façade that, in addition to a lineal roof-light for the rooms on the north side, works as a sun capture during the cold seasons.

The savings on heating (and air conditioning) have been possible due to the sun protection on the windows, the wooden ventilated façade, the use of a vegetal roof which provides a big thermal resistance and landscape value; and also a design that has paid particular attention to the natural ventilation, especially important in summer. The demand on heating has been under the limits of a passivhaus (15 Kwh/m2a), and it has been solved with just a fire place for each person. Our final need of heating has been 9 Kwh/m2a.

The possibility to enjoy open and transparent spaces facing the Collserola mount landscape, the integration of the building on the site, and the thermal comfort, in addition to the use of healthy and ecologic materials; are the big challenges and values of the project, and the house.