Churruca Residential Building

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula

Churruca Residential Building

Be Studio

ARCHITECTS
Be Studio

PROGRAM / USE / BUILDING FUNCTION
Residential

MANUFACTURERS
CERAMIQUES CALAF, Ceràmica Ferres, PAVINDUS

LEAD ARCHITECT
Silvia Baulies and Gaspar Bosch

PROJECT EXECUTION MANAGER
AIM Facility, Axel Illa, Joan Ametller - AIM Facility

STRUCTURE ENGINEERS
Campanyà Vinyeta Arquitectes

PHOTOGRAPHS
Adrià Goula

AREA
1092 m²

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Mataró, Spain

CATEGORY
Apartments, Sustainability

The project is located in the Old Eixample of Mataró, the capital of Maresme, a coastal city with a temperate climate due to its geographical location.

The starting point is an empty plot very close to the coastline, in a compact urban area where the "casa de cos" typology predominates.

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula

This environment influences the approach to the project, leading us to propose a building that evokes Mediterranean architecture and favors the enjoyment of the coastal climate.

We design a volume in line with this typology and facades that blend with the surrounding buildings, with the intention that the building goes unnoticed at first glance.

Inside, we seek a different language and create a large central courtyard that serves the residences.

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula

This void serves multiple functions; it attenuates the transition between public and private space, contains the vertical communication core and access to the 7 residences, provides a quiet and pleasant space that enhances neighborhood relationships, and offers a second façade (dual aspect) to the residences.

The courtyard is rectangular and is placed perpendicularly to the elongated shape of the plot, the building’s party walls.

This way, the building is divided into two volumes: one on the street side and the other on the side of the inner block courtyard.

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula

The entire building is structured in a linear pattern / stripped pattern that allows us to group and organize service and served spaces.

Bathrooms and utility areas are grouped in the center to maximize the façade length for bedrooms and living areas.

At the same time, the geometry and arrangement of these rooms are designed to be adaptable in the medium term.

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula

Interior partitions are built dry and placed on top of the floor finishes to facilitate users modifying and occupying these spaces according to their lifestyles.

Inclusive housing is intended and designed with a gender perspective.

That's why the daytime area groups the living, dining, and kitchen pieces into a single main space.

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula

The kitchen and laundry area, where domestic activities take place, are generously sized to be used by more than one person at a time, and they are carefully designed so they are pleasant spaces to use.

Energy efficiency has been a guiding axis of the project. Regarding passive energy systems, the inclusion of the courtyard has been crucial to this purpose, allowing all residences to have good ventilation and orientation on two facades.

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula

Through external cord blinds, all residences receive sunlight in winter and can protect themselves in summer.

The building envelope avoids thermal bridges and is equipped with good insulation and airtight openings.

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula
Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula

This achieves a building with low energy demand that will rarely need heating, which is produced with aerothermal energy. 

To reduce the ecological footprint of the building, measures such as the construction of a metallic load-bearing structure (and therefore recyclable), non-plastic insulation, or windows with wooden frames and finishes of natural stoneware have been taken, contributing to a traditional aesthetic with a Mediterranean soul.

Churruca Residential Building
© Adrià Goula


Churruca Residential Building
Plan - Ground floor
Churruca Residential Building
Plan - 1st floor
Churruca Residential Building
Plan - 2nd floor
Churruca Residential Building
Plan - 3rd floor


Churruca Residential Building
Plan - Situation
Churruca Residential Building
Section