House Between Canopies

House Between Canopies
© José Hevia

HOUSE BETWEEN CANOPIES

Unparell d’Arquitectes

CATEGORY
Houses

CONTRACTOR
David Construccions i Restauracions

ARCHITECTS IN CHARGE
Eduard Callís, Guillem Moliner

YEAR
2020

LOCATION
Vilablareix, Spain

RIGGER
Jesús Bassols

MANUFACTURERS
Griesser, TBB

AREA
201 m²

PHOTOGRAPHS
José Hevia

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Blázquez Guanter

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Cercle Gespromat

STRUCTURAL ENGINEEING
Jordi Comino

DESIGN TEAM
Xevi Rodeja, Clàudia Calvet, Thommy Parra, Sara Palmada, Sergi Jiménez

A two-storey house fit between two canopies. This is the answer to the common conflict between a desire – to enjoy the spatial attributes of a detached house – and planning – small plots with the minimal 3m separation to the property line.

The possibility of installing lightweight features in the non-buildable area is the loophole in the ordinance that will be the engine driving this project.

House Between Canopies
© José Hevia
House Between Canopies
© José Hevia

The geometry of the floor plan frees up two outside rooms, each of about 40m², which incorporate the mandatory separation.

A room midway between the street, the front door, and the kitchen functions as a foyer, parking space, or large room for casual celebrations.

The other is an intermediate room and the perfect space for extending activities in the living room to a covered outside.

House Between Canopies
© José Hevia
House Between Canopies
© José Hevia
House Between Canopies
© José Hevia
House Between Canopies
© José Hevia

These spaces are shaped by a metal structure with retractable awnings, which improve how the building behaves to weather conditions.

House Between Canopies
© José Hevia
House Between Canopies
© José Hevia
House Between Canopies
© José Hevia

With this lightweight architecture, the house is compact, with load-bearing walls.

A single perfectible window format is repeated, except for the sliding doors that maximize the openness of the ground floor.

House Between Canopies
© José Hevia
House Between Canopies
© José Hevia

The staircase, laid out diagonally in the middle, divides the home into two C-shaped palindromic bodies. Each part holds a canopy with a chamfered façade.

Most of the windows are open here, providing a diagonal view that adds visual depth and privacy from the neighbours. The geometry and layout of the openings allow for different types of light in a single room, as well as viewing the house itself through the windows.


House Between Canopies
Elevations
House Between Canopies
Sections


House Between Canopies
Plans
House Between Canopies
Site Plan