House 101 / H Architects
Work: Casa 101
Ubicación: Mollet del Vallès, Catalunya. Spain.
Architects: H Architects - David Lorente, Josep Ricart, Xavier Ros, Roger Tudó
Contributors: Marta Casas (architect), Xavier Aguiló (structural engineer), Ramón Antón (Technical Architect)
Awards & Accolades: 1st prize of the 4th Biennal d'Arquitectura del Vallès. 2007.
Year of completion: 2002-05
Floor area: 211 m2
Cost of project: € 220,000 (U.S. $ 345.468 - CLP $ 155,460,600)
Photographer: Estudi Starp
Taking
Semi-detached house for a young couple with a child in Mollet del Vallès, a town located about fifteen kilometers from Barcelona.
The site is located in a corner of a typical neighborhood center in such populations, characterized by the semi-detached houses-for-workmen who formed these tissues in early twentieth century in our territory.
Proposal
The traditional town house, situated on a corner when it poses a double problem, first hand the difficulty in the program outline, the other unable to locate a patio at the back of the plot, as if happening in the townhouses between party typologies, Both problems are solved just by putting a patio on the corner of the site, the agenda of the housing on the ground floor around it.
The parcel in front of a restaurant-garden with a few centuries old pine trees, in the corner. From our backyard are the tops of these magnificent trees.
Regarding the house, although the legislation allows building three floors and occupy the entire field, the type chosen and accepted by the client, develops housing in only two plants. The ground floor does not exhaust the maximum occupancy with the emergence of that corner patio, around which are kitchen and living room, fully continuous, and in terms of floor space, with outdoor space. The plant floor drains not the occupation, since, vacuum joined a courtyard terrace and a patio that make up the rooms of this floor, avoiding the windows opening directly onto the street.
Parking is largely connected with the lounge through a large sliding door that allows a flexible interpretation of the uses on the ground floor, to the point of being able to unify all its spaces, including the patio, in exceptional circumstances.
The house, by the appearance of the two courtyards, is oriented north-south for a good level of sun as well as an effective cross ventilation. Traditional elements and based on common sense such as overhangs, patios and cross ventilation are the characteristics that allow a reasonable scheme of energy use and economic. Building deliberately uses traditional materials and construction systems to any small-business-builder in the area. The house was built without penalties deviation to the budget initially foreseen. Almost everything seemed easy.
