21st Olmo. Housing complex in Lavapiés by Ciria Álvarez Arquiectos

Description of the project by Ciria Álvarez Arquitectos

It has undertaken the construction of a new building comprising 7 public housing units  and 5 parking spaces on Olmo Street, in the Lavapiés district within the historic old town of Madrid. The project was overseen by the Institutional Committee for Artistic and Natural Heritage of the City of Madrid as it is within a protected area. 
In addition to the numerous obligatory ordinances, the construction was conditioned by the irregular shape of the lot (6,6 m. of street facade and a depth of 24 m.) and the natural slope of the land with a difference of 4 metres with the street behind the lot.

The building is divided into two distinct volumes, staggered sections creating covered or semi-covered spaces terraces and common areas relating, physically and visually, the courtyard and the street as in a traditional Madrid “corrala”. In the first, three-storey facade to the street, the three flats have 1 bedroom and on the higher floors there are four 3-bedroom flats.  This strategy allows north-south orientation and cross ventilation in all homes, while allowing the complete use of the land through the use of lighting and ventilation patios, without limiting the entry of light produced by higher volume.

Technical facilities and the semi-automatic parking for up to 5 spaces are located on the entrance level bordered by a concrete wall for containment of the foundations of adjacent buildings.

The 1- and 3-bedroom flats are arranged around a central living-dining-room-kitchen that optimizes their day and night use limited by existing walls. The interiors have a light, intimate and independent atmosphere. It meets the specific regulation of social housing. 
 
The treatment of the volume aligned with the street, with large sliding windows behind  continuous flat phenolic panels in harmony with the chromatic study of the environment, inspires a contemporary interpretation of traditional gap protected from the south sun with a shaded, ventilated space. 

This indoor-outdoor relationship is intended to be modified and gradated according to the seasons and the desire to connect the rooms with the surrounding urban landscape allowing the creation of a moving and changing facade from the outside.  In the interior space terraces made with metal grille stretched like a visor offer sun protection to the 3 bedroom flats. All windows also have interior roller blinds for darkening. 

While the cover facing the road is passable and allows contact between neighbors, in the back thermal solar collectors for the ACS contribute to the heating, dishwashers and washing machines. This, together with the cross-ventilation of all the housing and courtyards, and the passive solar protection of the facades allow the building to operate with minimal input from the active means of cooling.