Dezanove House in A Pobra do Caramiñal, Spain by iñaki leite

Article source: iñaki leite

The architect’s inspiration came from the reclaimed eucalyptus wood of the “bateas”. These are the mussel production platforms that you see in the estuary and that constitute one of the most important local industry in “Ria da Arousa”, Spain. Eucalyptus wood is used in these platforms, and there are great extensions of this tree in the region.

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

• Architects: iñaki leite
• Project: Dezanove House
• Location: A Pobra do Caramiñal, Spain

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

The house tries to borrow the tradition of the surroundings and reveal them through the story told in the design and the detailing. All shape, technology and materials are inspired in this fishing industry. The house resembles the old booths on top of these mussel platforms, and similarly to them, some parts of the house appear to float. The very intention of using this material, shape and technology was to integrate the architecture of the building with the culture and tradition of the area. Therefore integration of culture is very important in its design.

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Some other premises to be achieve by the house were to respect its natural surroundings, had to be environmentally friendly, obtain maximum energy efficiency, bring in great natural light and achieve a relaxing atmosphere. In addition to this and as a special feature, the kitchen had to be spacious and play an important role in the core of the house as a key social space.

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

The building process was challenging with the shape and slope of the plot, the local planning restrictions affecting new constructions in the coast, and the very hard rock that was found on the back of the site.

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

We managed to overcome these difficulties and use some of them, like the rock, to our advantage. The final outcome is a house protected by the rock, open to the sea views and with the living room facing south to seek the sun.

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

The space is divided into two interconnecting volumes. The more private one can be closed from the outside, and protected from the sun with the folding wooden shutters facing south. This private volume has the rough, stressed texture of the reclaimed wood on its outer façade. The opposite occurs in the public volume, which has the wood inside. The interior in this volume reveals a smoother cut of the wood, providing a sense of comfort and warmth, while the exterior has the raw concrete. This volume is the one that contains the main living and dining areas, has expansive south-facing glazing and allows you to see the peaceful waters of the estuary in front of the house.

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

The age of the wood is not hidden, and the different outer and inner faces of the wood are used to create different sensations. In the living room the wood is purposely set to frame and direct the view to the exterior and in mind relaxing spaces.

The design process did not stop with the building. It continued down to the furniture done by local craftsmen: leather door handles, wooden lamp, batea wood chairs, steel staircase, etc.

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

The energy efficiency in a house has an emotional component and directly improves our relationship with nature. The EPC A energy rating was achieved through various elements integrated in the design. The house has a ventilation system (by Swegon) that purifies the air as well and has heat exchanging elements with the evaporative patio, fireplace heat exchanger, underground heat exchanger and central heat recovery system. For the heating/cooling system we use a high efficiency underground source heat pump (by Viessmann).

The air is purified as it comes through the patio and is filtered organically by the specially selected moss in the patio’s vertical garden.

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Image Courtesy © iñaki leite

Tags: A Pobra do Caramiñal, Spain

Category: House

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 18th, 2016 at 6:22 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.