NINETTE HOUSE

Single family house in Las Matas

Las Rozas, Madrid, 2017

Completed

A project which entails a dramatic change in the lifestyle of the owners: moving from an apartment block to a private house with a garden. The project aims to maximise the feeling of living close to the ground and foster a closer connection with exterior spaces, allowing what had previously not been possible: having breakfast outdoors, reading in a hammock among the trees, sleeping under the stars, growing their own garden.

To this end the boundaries of the house extend to those of the plot. Large glazed panels allow the interior spaces to visually flow onto the garden. The tiled floor extends beyond the glazing with a subtle colour gradient, reinforcing the idea of a seamless connection with the outdoors and effectively doubling the surface of the living room, kitchen, library and master bedroom.

 

In direct relation to these uses the courtyard is loosely divided in a series of areas of diverse character: a flower bed that gives access to the house, a reading corner that acts as a natural extension of the library, a productive garden, a seating area adjacent to the master bedroom, an outdoor dining area for the kitchen and a laundry area alongside the road access.

On the ground floor the rooms follow a centrifugal pattern that seeks to capture the exterior landscape, whereas on the first floor the rooms are arranged centripetally around a shared space, which acts as an elevated court. This room has been designed to enable different uses in accordance with the owners’ varying needs: dance room, playroom, home cinema, etc.

The house has been designed in accordance with low energy consumption criteria and employs a wide array of environmentally responsible solutions. It does not utilize gas as an energy source, relying instead on aerothermal energy for the production of hot water, backed by solar panels.

In the bedrooms the temperature is regulated exclusively by means of an underfloor heating and cooling system. Every bedroom is dual aspect and has three windows with automated adjustable louvres, allowing cross ventilation and thus achieving an optimal level of thermal comfort naturally.

> authors:

enrique arenas, architect

luis basabe, architect

luis palacios, architect

> collaborators:

maría angeles peñalver, architect

lidia fernández, architect

andreas benéitez, architect

lucía leva, architect

maría amigo, architect

alygizou niki xenia, architect

carlota le quinio, architecture student

> technical architect:

yolanda garcía

> contractor:

construcciones soldeser

> photography:

imagen subliminal