House with a small footprint

Authors’ Comment

The theme for the project was to create a vacation home with a small footprint (under 100 sqm) and environmentally friendly.
The clients for which the project was designed are a young family that wanted a home which would occupy as little as possible of the chosen site and opened to the garden, to enjoy its surroundings.
The house is configured to make the most of the land, occupying a small area (only 88 sqm without the terraces), but providing all the necessary comfort for living.
Since the isolation period we all went through, more and more people missed nature, so any outdoor space has become not only an advantage for any home, but an essential space for mental health and well-being in general. Going outside, getting closer to nature and playing outdoors have once again became evident as important parts that contribute to the quality of life. Access to green spaces of all kinds is an important element in people's well-being, contributing to strengthening immunity and generally maintaining the health of occupants. Lately, customers have begun to become more aware of this need and to request these elements to be included.
The garden represents a refuge in the middle of nature, a return to simple pleasures, to the slow life that allows you to enjoy any moment of the day and connect to the rhythm of nature.
The project is designed taking into account the orientation of the land, the openings and the terraces are being orientated to leverage the advantages of each cardinal point. The volume was optimized by configuring an unitary shading system that offers both protection against elements for the access on the North side, and on the South side providing protection in the summer months against overheating, but in the winter allowing the sun's rays to enter the house for passively heating.
Energy efficiency systems have been included in the design from the beginning and also left room for development towards a more sustainable, greener building, adapted to future requirements.