The family house in Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, was complete in 2021. The determining elements for the design have been the dialogue between the natural terrain of the plot with its views. Simple lines and clear volumes, natural lighting and horizontal features combine harmoniously.

The access to the house is from the highest point of the plot and then following the outer slope of the land we cross the first garden through large stone platforms, which lead us directly to the access of the main volume.

The foyer reveals an interior patio that organizes the uses of the house, clearly dividing the day program: living room, dining room, kitchen and service area, and the night program with the bedrooms.

The day area has a spacious terrace with large windows where there is a gradual and fluid transition towards the garden and the pool, which is located at the lower level of the plot, thus providing a feeling of protection and privacy through the natural environment of the terrain.

The most intimate program – the night area –  oriented to the east, is made up of bedrooms, allowing maximum privacy. Under this wing of bedrooms is the cellar room.

FH2L Arquitectos

The post Hage House was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The housing block built in the 70’s on Joan Margall Street in Madrid, replicated the distribution paradigm of the time, managing to fit two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a living room and a kitchen in 40m2. The independent rooms strictly complied with the necessary functional minimums, reducing each one’ s potential size

The proposed transformation is radically opposed to this principle, dismantling the divisions between spaces and dissolving the limits of the uses associated with each of them. A central core integrates all the facilities of the house, being the toilet the only element that can be isolated. The rest of materials, uses and rooms merge and contaminate each other, so that the tenants sleep in the bathroom as well as they shower in the living room. A piece of white tiling symbolically marks the wet uses that are present throughout the house, completely coating the central piece and the floors near it.

BURR

The post JM55 was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

This house is located in Parque Conde Orgaz, a low-density residential area in the northeast of Madrid, on a large and remote plot that is barely visible from the street. The architecture responds to this hidden and slightly sloping setting, with soft curves and fluid spaces, transforming the terrain into terraces according to the site views and orientation.

The car park and service area occupy the lowest part of the plot, leaving a generous platform on top for the piano-nobile of the house. This level is arranged as an open-plan space that wraps the landscape around it. In its northern end, the massing offers a welcoming gesture to mark the main entrance, at the front, it encloses an intimate courtyard towards the swimming pool, and at the back, the living room faces a private garden.

The spaces for daytime activities occupy the ground floor, which also encompasses a guest room and a separate office. The bedrooms, enjoying spacious terraces with stunning views of the city, are located on the upper level.

The dining room opens towards the east to capture the morning sun, surrounded by a large curved glass window and protected by the cantilever of the upper terrace. The living room is situated on the opposite side, with a slightly sunken area to form a cosy space overlooking the garden, furnished with an outdoor seating area around a fire pit.

The facade of the house features large floor-to-ceiling windows between the curved white-rendered walls, while the upper floor is wrapped with a series of delicate wooden slats. This permeable skin becomes a protective layer to provide privacy to the master bedroom while its materiality highlights the curved contours of the flat roof.

The formal language of the house is also used in the interior design of the fixed furniture. The kitchen is configured as an independent island with rounded corners and white finishes. The ceramic tiling of concave pieces without joints creates a pattern of vertical lines that resembles the slats of the facade.

The intervention on the landscape underlines the curved lines of the building and the terraces, retained by masonry walls in natural stone. The profuse vegetation is concentrated on the perimeter of the plot to provide privacy, while a system of gentle ramps connects the different levels. The accesses are paved with white concrete slabs, and the transition areas covered with random stepping stones.

AQSO Arquitectos

AQSO Arquitectos

The post House in Madrid was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The project, as a response to the challenges of residing in an apartment in Madrid, is a comprehensive reform required by the client’s lifestyle. The reform is defined by a single central geometric wooden volume strategically located, creating a division between the day and night areas. The project creates wide spaces that communicate with each other in a fluid movement, free of obstacles. The kitchen, living room and office are distributed along the perimeter of the central volume, and these spaces can be separated or connected to each other as desired through glass doors. The result is a continuous space uninterrupted and bathed in natural light.

FH2L Arquitectos

The post The Box was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Located in Madrid, the project involves the design of a new kindergarten nursery school and its landscape architecture. The new seat of pre-school education of the Lycée Français provides children with an empowering educational experience, based on learning through play.

The building is organized in three volumes, two of which, housing the classrooms, are oriented north-south to optimize natural light. The third one, which houses the entire common program, is oriented east-west to create two courtyards for different ages. This volume is protected from the western sun by a ceramic latticework that filters the natural light.

The proposal involves a scheme of twin classrooms sharing a bathroom, and a patio that further improves their ventilation and lighting. The kindergarten caters to children aged from 2 to 6 and distinguishes between those aged 1 to 3 and 3 to 6, distributing them in different spaces and classrooms; all facilities, however, feature bright colors and materials, creating different spaces where children can fully express their potential.

The design of the kindergarten draws from the Montessori concepts and principles. Besides safety, freedom is given back to children. Additionally, because of its non-porous materials and direct outdoor access for all classrooms, this center becomes a protected space in compliance with current hygiene measures, and a safe haven for children: The large size of the classrooms allows more distance between pupils, and size coupled with natural ventilation creates a safe space without compromising on playfulness.

This way, an adaptive learning environment for children is created, where architecture becomes a means for didactic learning.

Des Clics et des Calques
Azootea Estudio 

Alegría Zorrilla, Berta González, Nathalie Couineau, Camille Besuelle

The post Kindergarten in Madrid was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.