Casa Almudena, a project by Jesús Perales, awarded at XI Alejandro de la Sota Biennial - Tarragona Architecture Exhibition

Casa Almudena, is a house built for a couple and their two young children, formed by a ground floor in which to share as much time as possible with family and from where to contemplate the Baix Penedès vineyards (Tarragona - Spain)

The project carried out by architect Jesús Perales has been awarded at the XI Alejandro de la Sota Biennial - Tarragona Architecture Exhibition, in the category “New private buildings”. So, they explain us how the project was developed,

THE COMMISSION

Almudena and Jordi asked us to design a ground floor house, for them and their two children to live in. They have many hobbies, such as music, arts and crafts and cooking. They always look forward to spending time together as a family. The objective of the property was clear: for all the members of this small family be able to share as much time together as possible, irrespective of where they are in the house. At the same time, we wanted to maintain a certain degree of privacy with regards to the street and to their neighbours and open the house up to a beautiful vineyard. The result is a house with a walled façade, featuring irregular shapes which open up to the landscape of the vineyards.

PASSAGEWAYS

The structure of the house was based on several continuous passageways with one central element: a glazed inner courtyard. This shape allows us to create a home with circularity and to visually connect the different parts of the house. In this way it wouldn’t matter if you were preparing dinner while the children were doing their homework: you always have the feeling that the rest of the family are with you. Once it was finished, we were able to make sure that the courtyard allowed the day rooms to have one common focus, converting the various rooms of the house into one large living room to be enjoyed as a family.

VOLUME

Aside from the passageways, each room of the house was built independently, piece by piece, working with sloped rooves which give each room of the house a different expression. The rooves are made of concrete and their entire history is visible: the concrete formwork and the imperfections of the building process.

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

We wanted to give the house sensibility, working with exposed materials. Ceramic, concrete and wood. The construction has followed a traditional method. Once the structure was completed, the walls and ceilings were insulated with wood, to ensure it was insulated without a thermal bridge, in a natural and breathable way.

Location: Banyeres del Penedès. Tarragona (Spain).
Year of project: 2015
Year of construction: 2017
Constructed area: 224,28 m2
Collaborators: Anthony Benitez Martin, arquitecto, Marc Riera Arbós, arquitecto técnico
Photography: Marcela Grassi

Materials:
Sanitary framework: Cavity
Wall structure: Gero liso medida castellana, manufacturer Cerfasa, smooth finish. 240 x 120 x 90 mm
Exposed concrete slab, 190 x 50 cm three-ply timber construction
Interior flooring: exposed concrete, polished finish
Façade and roof insulation: Wood, manufacturer Gutex Cubierta
Ventilated slope: Arabic tiles, fixed with strips
Heating: underfloor heating
ACS: solar panels

Energy certification:
Annual primary energy consumption of the building: 15.76 kWh / year m²
Annual CO2 emissions: 2.73 kg CO2 / m² year
Energy rating (primary energy): A
Energy rating (emissions): A

Overhang: Rebar Diametre 40 mm

Source: Jesús Perales Arquitecte
Visit the Jesús Perales Arquitecte website