A diverse geometry for a home. House 016 by Arquitecturia

Architecture practice Arquitecturia, led by Josep Camps and Olga Felip, was commissioned to design a single-family home named Casa 016, in Caldas de Malavella, a municipality in the Selva region south of the city of Gerona, Spain.

The design has different ways of relating to the exterior, thanks to the interior patio it generates a close look that relates all the rooms. A horizontal look frames different points of view with the garden and the closest and most intimate exterior, and a wide look at the sky thanks to the structure and geometry of the roofs.

House 016 by Arquitecturia. Photograph by José Hevia.

The design by Arquitecturia supposes a fragmented approach to housing, generating a plant that is organized in six square volumes arranged around a central patio, the spaces are connected thanks to a cloister that contains the entrance and gravitates around the patio. The layout of the spaces allows for more privacy in the home, separating the bedrooms from common areas such as the kitchen or dining room.

The structure allows large spans of up to 12m to be saved with a 9cm laminated wood floor thanks to the geometry of the diagonal of the squares.

The sloping gabled roof collects water as if it were a leaf, thanks to the use of vitrified ceramic cladding in green colors. The colors chosen allow the house to blend in with the trees in the area and its surroundings. The project improves its sustainability thanks to the efficient use of rainwater, which is collected to irrigate the garden and vegetation, and cross ventilation provides fresh air in the interior spaces.

House 016 by Arquitecturia. Photograph by José Hevia.

Project description by Arquitecturia

The geometry of the house consists of six volumes arranged around a central courtyard that houses a part of the program and its size varies proportionally to the use of the house. They are connected through a cloistered space that collects the entrance and gravitates around the patio.

Three ways of looking at and relating to the exterior are contemplated: A look towards an interior courtyard through a space that connects all the rooms. A horizontal and bounded look that frames different fragments of the garden and that establishes a direct relationship with the exterior and the views but at the same time intimate. An open and wide look towards the sky is given by the relationship between the structure and the geometry of the roof and the load-bearing walls.

The central patio is open to generate a certain continuity with the garden that allows a natural and energetic permeability between the house and the forest of the golf course.

House 016 by Arquitecturia. Photograph by José Hevia.

Through cross ventilation, fresh air is provided in the interior spaces.

The material used is minimized with the structure proposal that allows large spans of up to 12m to be saved with a 9cm laminated wood floor thanks to the geometry of the diagonal of the squares.

The sloping roof with inverted gables collects water like a leaf through the use of vitrified ceramic cladding in green tones, which reflects and blends in with the trees. Part of this water is used to irrigate the garden, which is designed according to the principle of saving water with plants that require little watering.

Ground floor plan. House 016 by Arquitecturia.

Cross section. House 016 by Arquitecturia.

Nord Elevation. House 016 by Arquitecturia.

South elevation. House 016 by Arquitecturia.

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More information

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Architects

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Arquitecturia. Architects.- Josep Camps y Olga Felip Arquitecturia.

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Builder

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SIFERA Construccions Eficients SL.

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Dates

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Completion year.- 2022.

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Dates

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Caldes de Malavella - Girona. Spain.

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Photography

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José Hevia.

Josep Camps, Olga Felip. Arquitecturia

Camps Felip Arquitecturia. Josep Camps and Olga Felip founded Arquitecturia in 2007, an architectural, landscape and design studio based in Barcelona. Their work includes the Cathedral Apse Square, the recovery of the old Ferreries market in a Cultural Center, the Museum of Energy in Ascó and Four Rivers Masterplan of Girona which aims to improve the relationship between the urban grid and the natural systems.

Arquitecturia’s work has been awarded, published and exhibited both nationally and Internationally: Barcelona, Madrid, Venice, London, Tokyo and Buenos Aires among others. Also they have lectured at the Royal Institute of British Architects_RIBA, among other institutions.

Olga Felip. studied architecture at the Superior School of Architecture of Barcelona (05). Beside her professional career she obtained the Diploma of Advanced Studies and in 2019 she lectured her PHD Thesis in Theory and History of Architecture _Cum Laude. Olga has taught at the Architectural Association of London and she has lectured at RIBA and BIArch. She is currently professor at ETSAB Barcelona.

Olga has been recognised Emerging Woman in Architecture by Architectural Journal, MAS Award in the Cultural Cathegory (Women to be followed) and Arts and Letters Award by the FPdGi (Spanish Royal foundation).

In parallel to her leading role at Camps Felip Arquitecturia, her research & teaching tasks, Olga Felip has been member of the Board of Directors of the College of Architects in Girona, being in charge of the Cultural Department. Also, Olga has been member of the Expert Committee of the Catalan Department of Land that advises on the reform of land and urban planning policies.

Josep Camps. (1975) studied architecture at the Superior School of Architecture of Barcelona (00) | Worked for Atelier AO2 of Paris (1998) and Javier Sanjosé Office (2000-2003). He has received scholarship for taking part into different exchange programs and workshops including the Intercampus Scholarship at the Universidade Caixa du Sul and the program for ‘kashbes rehabilitation’ at Marocco by the UNESCO | Camps has been professor at the Superior School of Architecture of Barcelona –UPC where he taught Studio Project V-VI and since 2005 he is profesor at the University of Girona where he is the director of Studio Project I-II together with Josep Fuses and Elisabet Capdeferro.

He has been visiting professor at the Master of Cultural Heritage Managment of the University of Girona and member of the Final. Review Jury at the School of Architecture of Alicante. Besides his teaching work he develops her thesis project. ‘Intertwining Architecture’ for the research area of Theory and Practice of Architectural Design –UPC Barcelona-. Cofounder of curatorial and design group MA!O and co-founder of the architectural studio ARQUITECTURIA.

Olga Felip Ordis

Olga Felip Ordis (1980) studied architecture at the Superior School of Architecture of Barcelona (2005). During her degree, she received a scholarship for taking part in different exchange programs and workshops including the IDSA+U workshop at the School of Architecture of Edinburgh, the European exchange program EAEN working at the School of Architecture of Belleville–Paris and at UCLA University -California- and the International Laboratory of Architecture and Urban Design ILAUD at UIAV – Venice | She received a scholarship for taking part at the International Congress of the Sixties Spanish Architecture and assisted at V DOCOMOMO Ibérico Congress about The GATPAC: Politics, culture and architecture on the thirties. In 2001 she assisted at the Summer School of the Architectural Association School of London. Co-founder of curatorial and design group MA!O, and co-founder of the architectural studio ARQUITECTURIA. Besides her professional career, she develops her thesis project for the research area of Theory and History of Architecture, at UPC Barcelona.

ARQUITECTURIA has worked on residential, sanitary, educational and cultural projects for both public and private sectors. The studio members studied in different European universities, still holding engagement with them, and are involved in research programmes and being in contact with innovation and research applied in the professional area.