The “Housing Lab” addresses the creation of residential environments through an innovative and sustainable approach, where flexibility in spatial layout and integration of collective space are key. The proposed projects explore the maximization of urban permeability, bioclimatic orientation and energy efficiency, seeking a harmonious relationship between the private and the communal. The volumetric solutions respond to the urban context, promoting a respectful densification that favors social interaction and well-being. Each proposal seeks to integrate shared and versatile spaces, enhancing environmental sustainability and the quality of life of the residents.
The architectural proposal for Garralda focuses on a respectful integration with the local architecture, taking advantage of traditional solutions adapted to the climate of the region, such as high mass walls and sloping roofs to reduce energy losses. The design presents a monolithic volumetry that evokes a farmhouse, seeking to harmonize with the surroundings. The houses are organized on two floors: the ground floor, with longitudinal porches to connect with the exterior, and the upper floor, which prioritizes orientation and natural ventilation. Flexibility in the design is achieved through a modular grid of 3×4 meters, allowing various configurations. The proposed dwellings have 2 and 3-4 bedrooms, with emphasis on natural lighting and cross ventilation. On the first floor, garages and versatile satellite rooms are incorporated. The structure combines concrete on the ground floor and cross-laminated timber on the upper floor, optimizing construction efficiency and sustainability. In terms of energy efficiency, a passive approach is used, taking advantage of solar orientation, cross ventilation and skylights. In addition, a centralized biomass boiler and underfloor heating system complement the sustainable design. In summary, the project seeks to integrate the architecture with the landscape, offer flexibility in the spaces and ensure high energy efficiency, while respecting the climatic and architectural conditions of Garralda.
El proyecto tiene como objetivos principales la construcción de 76 viviendas, garantizando ventilación cruzada en todas ellas y utilizando la fachada como medianera a lo largo de su altura. Se descarta el uso de un patio separador para maximizar el volumen edificable y se opta por una crujía de 5,4 metros, asegurando una gran cantidad de viviendas con fachada al espacio exterior central. Para optimizar el uso del espacio interior, cada vivienda cuenta con un patio privado que, además de proporcionar calidad, ofrece ventajas energéticas, mejorando la captación solar en invierno y la refrigeración en verano.
La volumetría del proyecto se ajusta a los parámetros del Plan Especial, aprovechando los vuelos máximos permitidos. La pasarela de acceso se sitúa junto a la medianera, aprovechando el edificio vecino para dejar parte de la pasarela al aire libre.
Las viviendas están organizadas para garantizar privacidad y facilidad de acceso a las instalaciones. Los núcleos verticales, con escaleras y ascensores, aseguran una evacuación eficaz en caso de emergencia. La distribución interior se basa en una secuencia de espacios que incluyen vestíbulo, habitaciones, cocina/patio, y sala, todos conectados por una franja comunicante. La sala, la pieza más grande, aprovecha el máximo ancho de la crujía y disfruta de luz y ventilación natural gracias al patio.
The layout of the building is based on two key principles: to ensure a good orientation for all dwellings and that all facades and rooms are located on the external facade. The dwellings on the north side are placed on the corners to offer double orientation. The wet cores are located on the inner fringe and are developed in a compact and optimised way. The project consists of 24 dwellings, all with two double bedrooms, cross ventilation, and meet the requirements of habitability and accessibility. The spatial quality focuses on the living room as the main room of each dwelling. This large living room of 4.5 x 4.5 metres, located in the centre, connects all the rooms, becoming the core that articulates the design. The homes include two double bedrooms, a semi-enclosed kitchen and a large terrace that can be converted into a seasonal terrace, providing an outdoor space that can be used almost all year round. In terms of energy efficiency, passive systems are applied, such as cross ventilation and solar protection by means of cantilevers on the facades. In addition, bioclimatic solutions are proposed, such as the possibility of creating a seasonal gallery in each dwelling with an economical enclosure system, and the option of covering the inner courtyard to improve the building’s energy performance.
In the context of a new development in Sant Pere de Ribes, we propose the construction of two buildings with a clear, linear and compact volumetry that favors the creation of the city. Both buildings share a mixed first floor, which includes housing, commercial and community spaces, designed to be highly permeable and attractive, connecting the atrium of the building with the exterior public space. The rooftop facilities are integrated between the facades of floor 4, avoiding unfriendly roofs. The general layout proposes longitudinal buildings, with the dwellings distributed in a linear fashion around a large central atrium, which acts as an intermediate lobby between the dwellings and the public space, creating a communal space. The proposal stands out for maximizing the contact of the dwellings with the exterior, with sober facades and numerous openings that guarantee great visual permeability. The interior organization of the dwellings is based on a ring of adjacent main rooms, all on the exterior façade, while the service rooms form the façade of the interior atrium, functioning as extensions of the main rooms. This design allows for cross ventilation in all rooms. The energy strategy includes passive systems such as typological compactness, cross ventilation, the chimney effect through the atrium and solar shading. Active systems such as air renewal with heat recovery, rainwater harvesting and solar energy for self-consumption and electric vehicles are also incorporated.
The project is located in the northern part of the plot, separated from the higher volumes to take maximum advantage of the sunlight. It is a compact 33mx11.6m block with an annexed volume for bicycles on the first floor. The building, rectangular and compact, optimizes circulation and raises the first floor to increase the privacy of the dwellings. The vertical cores are located on the street façade, while the terraces and main rooms enjoy SE orientation with increased privacy. The floor plan is designed to centralize wet areas and optimize facility routes. Economic sustainability is highlighted by simplicity of form and restraint in formal resources, allowing for cost and time savings. The housing typologies are distributed in three strips: a wet one with facilities, open living and dining room with access to terraces, and double rooms with cross ventilation and outdoor space. In terms of energy strategy, all the dwellings are cross-ventilated and maximize solar gain in winter, while protecting themselves from radiation in summer with overhanging bodies. The suppression of thermal bridges and solar protection guarantees interior thermal comfort.
Urban permeability, highlighted by the compactness of the volumes, is a key aspect of the architectural design. The slender, compact layout of the towers minimises visual obstruction to neighbouring buildings and frees up almost the entire plot, transforming it into an extensive urban plaza that fosters community opportunities. The volumetric layout of the blocks allows the dwellings to rotate around the core, so that they all have four exterior facades. This equitable distribution optimises orientation, views and façade utilisation, providing a harmonious visual experience for residents. The vertical cores are central to the design, acting as pivot points for the blocks of flats and ensuring that each has access to all four external facades, maintaining a favourable floor area ratio. The dwellings include seasonal galleries that can be transformed into spacious terraces, facing two or three facades. These verandas can be enclosed with glass, creating a greenhouse effect that enhances sustainability and environmental comfort. This versatility in the verandas allows them to serve both day and night areas, contributing to the well-being of the residents.
The building is located in a privileged enclave that acts as a bridge between two contrasting urban realities: on the one hand, the domestic fabric of Villejuif, characterized by a Garden City pattern, low density and small residential streets; on the other hand, a new urban area under development with larger buildings, wider streets and green pedestrian axes. The proposal seeks to integrate both contexts harmoniously. The design is based on three volumes or towers that rise at the vertices of the triangular plot, connected by a plinth that adapts the volume to the irregular topography. This arrangement allows a densification respectful of the surroundings, creating a small grain that dialogues with the two urban fabrics. The towers follow an ascending progression in height, from the lowest volumes of the ‘Pavilions’ neighborhood to the tallest tower, aligned with the large volumes of the new urban development. The space between the towers generates great permeability, avoiding the creation of a massive block. The form of the three towers creates a visual reference on the new green axis, while the first floor plinth creates interstitial spaces on a human scale, offering new opportunities for public space and encouraging interaction with the urban environment.
