Carquero Arquitectura designs a single family dwelling on a plot, between dividing walls, on the edge of Ubrique historic center, a town recognized as one of the typical "pueblos blancos" (white villages), with white facades and sloping roofs of tile, in the Serrania de Ronda Mountains of Cadiz province, Spain.

Located on a hillside, the house is organized with a diagonal axis in section caused by the slope itself, which gives meaning to the light inputs and organization of the project program.
In the project designed by Carquero Arquitectura, the openings are positioned in the volume after an analysis of the sunlight, originating an austere and closed façade, a volume and composition of the holes  based on the golden ratio that harmonizes the elevation. The project reason through a mathematical scheme.
 

Description of project by Carquero Arquitectura

Ubrique is one of the municipalities that make up the so-called "White Villages" of the Sierra de Cádiz, characterized by a winding urban layout of Arabic origin and interesting popular architecture, with white facades and sloping roofs of tiles. Ubrique is located in the Valley of the Aljibe, crossed by the Arroyo Seco River that acts as the lower axis from where the city develops on steep slopes: the new zone ascends towards the west, and the historic city ascends towards the Cumbres del Caíllo, on the east.

The plot is located on the perimeter of the historic center, this edge interests the topographical relationship that exists between the ascent to the historic city with the natural peaks as a backdrop and the descent into the mighty Arroyo Seco (green connector of the town) and of the urban growth zone. This plot, almost rectangular, with lateral medians, has its front towards a narrow street, border of the Historical Center and its back, with steep descending slope, opens to a common green area towards the landscape of the Ubriquen Valley.

The traditional domestic architecture of this region distributes the day program on the ground floor, leaving the first floor as a sleeping area and the second floor as storage. The “zaguan” or hallway in this popular urban architecture is a transitional space between the house and the street that serves as a spatial articulator and a very interesting element of Arab tradition.

The project of the dwelling attempts to search this relationship/duality duality in such an interesting section, at the same creating a dialogue with the ubriquen popular architecture. Thus, the different sections of the house become the base discourse of development of the project, providing the house with an interior spatial richness that unites the functional program.

The main entrance space, triple height, is what makes the transition between the busy and narrow street and the interior of the house, referring to the traditional Zaguán. This hall offers a versatile space that serves as an entrance and play area for children, and is richly composed of three massive volumes that fly over it and whose shadows thrown by the large windows provide a spatial harmony that dignifies the traditional “zaguan” or hall itself.

Functionally, the traditional housing program is inverted due to the characteristics and location of the plot: on the ground floor, the hallway and garage are arranged toward the street, and the bedroom area toward the rear green area (staying a little higher to gain height in its upper level terrace), being the linear staircase the element that articulates the floor of the house. On the first floor is the master bedroom with bathroom facing the street, leaving the day area of the house (living-kitchen-dining room) open to a continuous terrace overlooking the Valley of the Aljibe. From this space, with an inclined roof, you can also access a mezzanine that serves as a study connected to the living room, leaving as service nuclei the three volumes that project to the hall (laundry room, staircase and toilet).

The municipal ordinances limit to PB + 2 the number of heights of the house, so we decreased this maximum volume built allowed thus allowing the creation through the slantedforged concrete  a direct visual from the terrace / living / study towards the summits of Caíllo, thus being able have a cross view of the entire environment that surrounds the plot.

The main façade is designed thinking of these interior visual relationships, natural lighting and considering the characteristics of the surrounding popular architecture (white, austere volumes and sloping tile roofs). Compositely, a modulated white Composite base hides the access openings and connection systems, in relation to the formal and austere traditional architecture, while the volume and composition of the holes are made based on the golden ratio that harmonizes the elevation.

Constructively the house has been executed with a mixed structure of steel and concrete, covers and closings with traditional Andalusian systems, using the most up-to-date models of carpentry, home automation, air conditioning, lighting and renewable energy technologies in its interior.

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Architects
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Carquero Arquitectura. Architects.- Carlos Quevedo Rojas, Carlos Peinado.
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Collaboratos
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Miguel Rodríguez Muñoz / Donatella La Riccia (Architects). Quantity Surveyor.- David Jaén Ortega.
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Contractor
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Alzae S.L.
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Client
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Esteban Martín Mateos, Inmaculada Domínguez Acevedo.
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Area
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Site area.- 111,22 m². Built area.- 331,65 m².
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Dates
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Design year.- 2015-16. Construction year.- 2017-18.
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Location
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C/ Doctor Serafín Bohórquez, 16. 11600. Ubrique, Cádiz. Spain.
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Photography
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Carlos Koblischek.
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Carquero Arquitectura. Architecture firm established by Carlos Quevedo Rojas and Carlos Peinado Madueño.

Carlos Quevedo Rojas (Cádiz, 1980). PhD in Architecture from the Universities of Seville and IUAV di Venezia, with three Masters on Architecture and Heritage, Restoration and Art History from the Universities of Seville, La Sapienza di Roma and Granada respectively. He has been visiting professor at the universities of Seville, IUAV di Venezia, Olavide, Camerino and Oxford Brookes School of Architecture. He has participated in numerous international conferences and seminars and has published in various scientific-technical journals.

His research work has been recognized with the “R. Santos ”and the“ Pablo de Olavide ”Essay Award. He has been awarded a scholarship to carry out various stays at the universities of Venice, Lima, Delft or Paris. He is a researcher and honorary assistant at the University of Seville and collaborates with the National University of Engineering of Peru. He has participated as a jury in several international architecture competitions and awards. In 2019 he was the winner of the 40under40 Awards, organized by the Chicago Athenaeum and The European Center as one of the best young European architects.

Carlos Peinado Madueño (Malaga, 1980). He developed part of his training and work in different architecture and urban planning studios in Seville and Malaga, collaborating in projects of all kinds throughout the Andalusian geography, from housing developments to activity projects, where the award for the construction of 5 social housing should be mentioned in collaboration with PHS Arquitectos, promoted by the Municipal Institute of Housing of Malaga.

He was also part of the multidisciplinary group Arquitectura 4.0, carrying out projects for clients such as Iberdrola or Endesa, and international competitions, and has developed a large part of his work experience as construction manager at the service of the construction company Fernández and Lind Construcciones, in works for new-storey homes and villas, comprehensive renovations or civil works, which contribute to the work of Carquero Arquitectura proximity and constructive reality.
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