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Casa MM

Corner of Casa MM in Valldoreix, with a concrete frame, cork cladding, timber window and a pool on a terracotta-tiled terrace.

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Casa MM

The owner of a 1947 building in Valldoreix commissioned us to enlarge her house to accommodate her daughter and grandchildren. Taking advantage of the excellent orientation of the 800 sqm plot, we designed a new independent two-storey volume that integrates into the existing slope.

Concrete corner clad in cork with a large timber window revealing the dining area and the terracotta terrace.
Interior corridor lined in plywood, with a concrete ceiling and glazing opening to the pool and garden.
Plywood-lined room with a cluster of potted plants and a large window overlooking the pool.Two-storey volume with a concrete frame and cork panels, a corner window and a concrete retaining wall.

The plot has a level change of 1.5 meters between the pool and the northern part of the garden. By normative, the occupied floor area should not exceed 65m2, so we decided to distribute the program on two floors. In order to generate a better relationship with the existing house and the north-south garden, we decided to take advantage of the slope to bury part of the building.

Floor plan of Casa MM with furnished rooms, the central staircase and the garden with the pool.Floor plan of the upper level with bedrooms, staircase and the planted garden.Section of the two-storey extension set into the slope, with the pool and garden alongside.Cross section with human figures showing the two levels set into the slope and the garden with pool.
Plywood-lined staircase with a metal handrail, concrete ceiling, mesh guardrail and potted plants in the sunlight.
Entrance detail: cork panels, a concrete corner, a timber-and-glass door and concrete steps over terracotta paving.
Kitchen-diner with a continuous plywood wall, black countertop, concrete ceiling and a horizontal window framing the garden.

Built in concrete, the lower and upper floors respond according to a different logic. The first, solid and closed, retains the earth from the ground and controls thermal losses due to lack of radiation. The second, light and open, increases its relationship with the exterior while maximising solar gain. This strategy, together with the thermal inertia of concrete, a structural material to which no cladding is added to maximize its performance, allows the house to enjoy thermal comfort all year round with a demand of 12.5 kW/m²/year.

Project
Casa MM
Year
2022
Location
Sant Cugat
Programme
Single-family house
Area
140 m2
Authors
Marc Alventosa, Xavier Morell
Team
Néstor Morro (arquitect), Diagonal Arquitectura (structure), Iñaki Gonzalez (technical architect)
Photographer
Adrià Goula
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