House E1

The project solves in a straightforward way a very common situation on the outskirts of our cities, in order to become a repeatable solution due to its spatial quality, ease of construction, energy efficiency and economy of resources.

The plot, rectangular and flat, measures just 275m². These small dimensions, together with the setbacks required by the regulations, limited the possibilities of movement. It was decided to pair the house towards the north, where the garage and the facilities were located on a single floor. This allowed for more garden to be available to the south, opening the ground floor towards the south, east and west, and freeing up the second floor by opening spaces in its four orientations.

The lower floor is conceived as a concrete brick plinth, manufactured just 10 kilometres away from the site. Over this plinth, the first floor emerges, compact and covered in white lime mortar.

The perforations in the facades are large to open generously to the small garden and capture a lot of light. Taking as a reference the traditional Pasiegan houses of the north of the province, the openings on both floors are staggered. This diagonal relationship also occurs on the floor plan, in order to achieve a feeling of greater spaciousness. The concrete brick precisely modulates the position of the openings, formalises the sides of them by means of special pieces with a U-shaped section and builds a lattice that allows ventilation of the aerothermal installation. The exterior carpentry is made of anodised aluminium in its natural colour.

The ground floor is organised by a central piece that contains the bathroom and the kitchen wall units, which frees up the rest of the house. The diagonal visual escapes introduce nature into the house, increasing its spaciousness. A light staircase, built with industrial elements of steel painted in white, acts as the only singular element with a vertical vocation and connects the two floors.