*Nominated for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, 2015

COAM Award 2013. Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid (2013). 

* House of Would, Madrid. Selected work for the Arquia Próxima Award Interior Design and Refurbishment. Arquia Foundation, Caja de Arquitectos (2014).

* Selected work in the XII Bienal Española de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, 2013

House of Would is a home originally designed for a young woman, two dogs, a cat, and several birds—a diverse community that will evolve, and expand over time—located on the limit of Pedrezuela, Madrid. The plural condition of this multi-species community oriented the basic design guidelines requested by the owner: to raise the house 60 cm off the ground to allow its canine and feline inhabitants to move freely around the lot, to provide a sheltered outdoor space for the birds, and to design the interior spaces in a way that would allow them to be adapted to accommodate future inhabitants and/or various uses.

The project is structured around a system of pre-industrilized modules made of cross-laminated timber with identical geometries that, when combined and arranged in different ways, form the overall volume of the house around one central courtyard and two smaller courtyards. Each of the seven modules is designed for a specific domestic function according to its functional needs. The modular organization and the scale of the spaces allow for other functional logics, as a support fir other possible layouts.

The modular system makes it easy to adapt the home to the slope of the site. The rooms are displayed in stages, according to their levels of privacy: the private rooms remain hidden from the street and are situated close to the ground to foster direct contact with the earth. Meanwhile, the more accessible spaces are arranged along an axis perpendicular to the street, creating a sequence of spaces that rise above the other rooms and open the living room and the terrace to the mountain landscape. Small connecting passages work as transitional elements between the different zones, taking advantage of changes in elevation to create unique spaces, such as the flood-prone area next to the master bedroom.

The three courtyards articulate the spatial system. The central courtyard, around which the rooms are arranged, features the main garden. The north courtyard, enclosed by a latticework screen, provides access to a shaded area for the summer. The courtyard located between the bathroom and the master bedroom will be converted into a bird room. The wooden roofs are arranged according to a spatial variation law which that collects rain water and directs it to the courtyards to water the gardens.

The facades and roofs are constructed using three ventilated systems. The first consists of a wood-panel finish that covers the surfaces visible from outside the lot. These facades are clad in Canadian oak, using leftover stock from a batch intended for another construction project that was halted by the real estate crisis. Given the limited number of pieces, a strategy for arranging the wooden boards was established to make full use of the material on the exterior surfaces. This way, the energy embedded in this “matter-out-of-place” is harnessed, ultimately transforming a globalized material into a locally sourced one. The second is a translucent polycarbonate system that forms the interior facade, regulating natural light and integrating artificial lighting into the exterior surfaces facing the courtyards. It forms a continuous surface that envelops the courtyards through a suspended, lightweight, and luminous screen, designed to enhance the enjoyment of these outdoor living spaces. This system configures a continuous surface that wraps around the courtyards. The third system consists of a pavement made of precast “reinforced grass” blocks planted with grass. It is also used as a finishing material for the visible part of the semi-underground garage-workshop. This surface of perforated panels conceals a set of catadioptric reflectors that glow when illuminated by passing vehicles. Thus, the house welcomes its visitors with the message: “W E L C O M E   H O M E,” fostering an emotional connection with the architecture.

Inside, the number of interior finishes is minimized through a strategy that combines exposed, unfinished structural wood panels with light-colored surfaces that reflect natural light, in some areas, while preserving the semi-darkness, in others. Light lines are integrated into the gap between the two materials. This solution not only provides basic lighting for the rooms but also highlights the angular geometry of the roof in the bedrooms.

The industrialized nature of the construction process makes it possible to combine high-precision elements, such as CLT, with low-tech ones, such as peepholes for adults, children, and dogs built into the front door. These peepholes are made from repurposed pipe scraps. Furthermore, the use of dry construction for most joints will allow for the disassembly and recycling of a large portion of the components, facilitating participation in a circular construction model in the future.

The industrialized nature of the construction process makes it possible to combine high-precision elements, such as CLT, with other “low-tech” features, such as the peepholes (made from scraps of modified pipes) for adults, children, and dogs built into the front door. In addition, the use of dry construction for most joints will allow for the disassembly and recycling of a large portion of the components, making it easier to participate in a circular construction model in the future.

*Nominated for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, 2015

COAM Award 2013. Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid (2013). 

* House of Would, Madrid. Selected work for the Arquia Próxima Award Interior Design and Refurbishment. Arquia Foundation, Caja de Arquitectos (2014).

* Selected work in the XII Bienal Española de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, 2013

From Prefabricated Fictions to the Prefabrication of Fictions

1. Industrializing fictions. Somebody seeks to transfer her happiest experiences (a shipping container in the woods, an “alpine type” wooden house, or living surrounded by animals) into a new space in Madrid.

The home as a post-production space for memories, desires and experiences. 

2. Animal family. A space where a human, two dogs, a cat, and several birds will share their lives.

Multispecies communities.

3. A house in 21,600 minutes. The industrialised,  dry-assembly construction system shorten the execution periods.

There is an empty plot of land today, but, in less than two weeks, a house will have appeared.

4. The kit. The Project is executed according to the rules of the parts assembly system, shifting part of the on-site construction effort to the industrial workshop.

From construction on site to production.

5. Flexible organisation. The modular system features spaces that can be easily reconfigured.

Domestic playgrounds.

6. Look or Touch. A system that fosters different relationships with the site: the private rooms directly engage with the lot; the public spaces take in the views, enjoying the horizon.

Like the song says, “No tocarte y pasar todo el día junto a ti”(To not touch you and yet spend the day by your side).

7. Russian dolls. The functional layout allows for partial use of the house.

A house within a house.

8. The “extras”. The Project includes the construction of a support made of elementary finishes made up of few elements. The end user will finish the house at a later date.

The construction is the hardware. Everyday practices will be its software.

• Architects:
• elii - Uriel Fogué + Eva Gil + Carlos Palacios

• Team leader:
• Enrico Forestieri

• Developer:
• Isabel Rodríguez Hurtado

• Surveyor:
• Samuel Escudero

• Structures:
• Mecanismo S.L.

• Mechanical:
• Nieves Plaza

• Construction Companies:
• Dionisio Torralba Construcciones
• Altermateria (Wood structure)

• Photography:
• Miguel de Guzmán (obra)
• www.imagensubliminal.com
• elii (models)

• Model:
• elii - Enrico Forestieri, Blanca Macarrón, Sara Castellote, Iris Artemisa Espinosa, Lucía Usera

• Size:
• 210.90 m2

• Project Phases: 
• Phase 1: 2010 – Project
• Phase 2: 2011 - Foundation, Preindustrialization and Structure
• Phase 3: 2012 - Dry construction
• Phase 4: 2013 - Urbanization and Landscaping

• Location:
• Pedrezuela, Madrid