A house whose main idea it is to attempt to adapt it to the landscape and to the pre-existences, trying to create good views to the Sierra de Madrid and to the surrounding natural areas. We recommend you his enjoyable video! A story appearing Caperucita Roja, the wolf and a ferocious bear.

Located in the north side of the Sierra de Madrid the effort in this house consists in respecting the preexisting vegetation, adapting the house to the topography and to the situation of being in the north side of the mountain. The structure construction attempts to reduce the costs and the construction times.

Memory of project

El Espinar House is built in a small village at the north face of the Sierra de Madrid. The site enjoys a privileged location, on the edge of the town bordering the Natural Park Panera. This situation is the starting point of the project, with the goals of maximizing the mountain and park views to the northwest; optimizing natural light considering it is at the north face of the mountain, and respecting the existing large pines. The dwelling is located in the center of the lot with a perimeter defined by urban legal conditions as well as the situation of the trees.

The facade consists of a triple skin: First there is a sandwich panel with OSB boards (which provide the interior finish), extruded polystyrene foam insulation and waterproof chipboard, surrounding the core of the house rooms and living spaces. The second skin is made of cellular polycarbonate, providing extra insulation and expanding the perimeter to wrap a south-facing greenhouse that collects heat during winter days and can be opened to the outside during the summer, defining semi-outdoor extension space for the house. Steel cables allow climbing plants to grow on three sides of the house, as a vegetal third skin.

The use of semi mechanized building techniques, steel frames, sandwich panels and polycarbonate, can speed up work time, reduce costs and give the building greater flexibility to make changes in the future.

Water and electrical facilities are accesible, making easier to expand, change or perform repairs.

The top deck area is a garden that tries to restore the portion of ground garden occupied by the building and provides a leisure space at the level of the treetops with views of the mountains.

Text.- Miguel de Guzmán

CREDITS:

Architect.- Miguel de Guzman and Veidimanna Protum.
Collaborators.- Miguel de Guzman and Veidimanna Protum (project managment), Pablo Palomino, Francisco Gorritz (technical architect), Esther Ceballos (other consultant), José González Encinar y Ars Tectónica (building).
Location.- El Espinar. Segovia. Spain.
Date.- 2013

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Miguel de Guzmán born in Rio de Janeiro in 1972. He is an architect (ETSAM. 1998) and also architectural photographer. He has been professor in the Graphic Ideation Department at CEU Architecture School and the Photography Department of Istituto Europeo di Design in Madrid. Since 2008 Imagen Subliminal is the broadcast platform through which he shows his work as photographer and videographer. As an Architect, he has been awarded with the Dionisio Hernadez Gil Prize for the Diocesan Priest House in Plasencia (work done together with Andres Jaque and Enrique Krahe), and was selected for the 2005 Spanish Architecture Bienal. As a Photographer he has been finalist in ABC Journal Art Awards 2000, El Mundo Photography awards 2001. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions (Circuitos de Arte Joven, Galeria Vírgenes, Photo España…). The book "Miguel de Guzmán Architectural Photography" contains a selection of photographs taken between the years 2003 and 2013, and which give example of a new way in the making of architectural photography.

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