Casa GG by Alventosa Morell Arquitectes
Minimalist private residence designed in 2013 by Alventosa Morell Arquitectes located in Barcelona, Spain.
Description by Alventosa Morell Arquitectes
Is it possible to build a home that completely adapts to its surrounding landscape of mountains and greenery, in just four months? Is it possible to heat a detached house located in the Montseny Landscape, with only a single one-kW radiator, used two hours a day in the winter? These were questions posed at the beginning of this project, that became a reality.
The client requested a detached house that would be as inexpensive as possible, that could be built in a short period of time and was energy-efficient. As a solution, six wooden, prefabricated modules were created, without the need for later finishing fieldwork, that were flexible enough to adapt to the morphology of the site.The bioclimatic study of this exact site was crucial in deciding the strategies to follow in the design, in order to improve the dwelling’s comfort and to achieve the energy demands in order to be a passive house.
Keeping in mind the possibilities of transportation and the passive house characteristics, we drew six modules which will adapt automatically to the sun and to the existing trees. The interstitial spaces among the modules provide the interior with flexibility and become a solar light collector in winter, like the greenhouse effect, due to the glass walls. In spring and summer they can transform into roofed terraces next to the garden, when the temperature is warm.
The design features an intense relationship between its occupants and the surrounding nature. So the relationship between the house and the Montseny green landscape becomes one of the main focal points in this work. The wood structure and walls and the striking concrete floor blend into the overall configuration of the interior.
The use of wood as the main material makes the relationship with construction experts easier, and allowed for optimization of construction details and costs. All of these strategies, plus the use of a structure with a lot of thermal resistance provided the best solutions, which included the reduction of ecological effect due to the use of materials from the surroundings. Condensation was prevented by using sweating materials, to have a healthy house. The use of 76.77% less energy to heat the house, in comparison with the same house built in the traditional way, for an energy-efficient dwelling.
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- by Matt Watts
