A-Cero Architects | Concrete House | Madrid

The first sensation that this house produces when people go into the plot is that the building seems to be hidden between concrete walls and vegetable ramps that extend up to the roof. They are dyed in dark gray and contain, between them, vegetation areas that seem to climb towards the sky. The house´s façade show a spectacular organic view of the whole house and so even the hard concrete shows its most kind face.

The back front of the house is totally opened towards the garden where the lounge, dining room, library, study and bedrooms are. In this façade the wide windows, the volumes set and the projections (made of concrete too enhance. These elements cover the several house´s porches. The large window of the main lounge hides itself automatically in order to make this stay completely opened to the exterior areas.

The plot includes also an elegant garden, a small lake and a pádel track.

The ecological aspect is very in this A-cero´s work: the façade and the roof have the main ecological roles because they are covered with low consume vegetation. Furthermore on the house´s roof has been implemented a renewable energy system made of wide surfaces with solar tubular collectors who allow that the energy autonomy of the house.
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Private House | Madrid,Spain | Claudio Nardi

Contemporary house design by Italian architect Claudio Nardi.
Many of his projects belongs to the world of fashion such as Dolce e Gabbana, Ferrè, Valentino, Extè, Malo and Tod’s and among his most recent works appear the New Headquarter of the Port Autority in Marina di Carrara (2007), the Vertex Tower and Office Building in Amman (2007), the New Museum of Contemporary Art – Fabrika Schindlera in Krakow (2007) (first prize winner).
Visit Claudio Nardi website here.

Rota House | Refurbishment of a House between Party Walls,Madrid | Manuel Ocana

A well-known ‘Dame of the Theater’, single, 65 years of age, whose dream was to have a swimming pool at home, commissions us the refurbishment of a dark dwelling between party walls in the center of Madrid. The demands: satisfying her desire of having that pool, a loft with an elevator, and abundant natural light.

The property, of 8x8 meters on two floors and an attic, has a single facade in a narrow and dark street facing north and a tight corridor of 2x2 at the end. And it is in that area at the end of the plot, at the height of the attic and facing south, where one can find the ‘the best’ part of the house: wonderful and bright views of the roofs of Madrid’s historic center. That will be the spot from which to bathe the house with sunlight; arriving from the street and into that space will be the reward. In this way, from the dark entrance one reaches a luminous lookout with privileged views. The ‘how’ and the ‘process’ of the itinerary will determine the evolution of the proposal.

Simple demolition works allowed opening up the slabs, which cascade towards the south to flood the three levels with natural light, thus transforming the courtyard into a vertical interior space that the pool fills. Furthermore, inserting in a domestic program of some 400 cubic meters 20 cubic meters of water at 37°C demanded a thorough climate conditioning study and, above all, the active participation of the user, who must be aware that they will be enjoy a broad repertoire of domestic experiences if they work almost as much as if they lived on a boat.

The house incorporates four machines to control and condition the temperature and humidity of the spaces in accordance with comfort needs. Passive conditioning is solved through cross-ventilation. The lower level is waterproof (floors, walls and ceilings are painted with white chloride rubber and the sheet staircase is treated with marine varnish), which permits creating unusual comfort conditions in a domestic environment like, for instance, submerging in the warm water of the pool while it rains or snows… inside.

LOCATION: Voyage de Conde Duque. Madrid
PROJECT-REALIZATION: 2006
PROMOTER: C.R
ARCHITECT: Manuel Ocaña
PARTNERS: Roberto González García, Lucía Martínez, Sebastian Camacho (Paint Pool)
CONTRACTOR: Manuel Ocaña
Built surface: 163 m2
BUDGET: € 130,000
PHOTOS: Miguel de Guzman

Text and images from Manuel Ocana