House on the Stream

House on the Stream | Valencia, Spain | 2022
[CALMM architecture + Joan Sanz Arquitectura]

The plot is immersed in an attractive landscape of high environmental value: the abundance of moisture, light, oxygen, carbon dioxide and minerals make the Granolera stream a healthy place to live.

The existing volume is made up of a main building and a series of unconnected additions that have been incorporated into the original dwelling with the objective of satisfying the immediate needs of its inhabitants and that ended up shaping a heterogeneous volume that did not contribute to the enjoyment of the landscape.

The proposal is based on the idea of analysing the evolutionary process of the house and transforming it to link it to the landscape. The goal is to reinterpret the existing volume to give it a clear and homogeneous geometry without losing the authenticity of the traditional Valencian construction. This process of harmonisation and consolidation is also the strategy adopted to ensure its energetic transformation, as it gives the volume greater compactness.

The new volume takes shape under a gable roof. The house is extended on the east and south sides. The east façade incorporates a terrace in the form of an arcaded space that accentuates the visual tension between the interior of the house and the landscape. Under the porch and taking advantage of the topography, a part of the programme is incorporated.

The columned arcade along East facade opens up the ground floor towards the stream landscape. It functions as a leisure terrace where one can enjoy the easterly wind and as a gallery that easily connects the different platforms and spaces of the garden.

A small staircase links the porch space with the southern part of the house, which in turn links it with the swimming pool. In front of the swimming pool, the steps are transformed into a small grandstand that links the plot with the stream. These steps are the only transforming element in the garden. A natural garden that guarantees fresh plant spaces to face the effects of climate change.

Structural details emphasize the articulation between the existing volume and the extension. The preserved façades are recomposed by introducing typical elements of Mediterranean architecture. A variety of plaster covering textures, the incorporation of planters and lattices balance the proportions of the façades and anchor the intervention to the memory of the place.

In the interior, a large longitudinal gutting operation is proposed to ensure cross ventilation in the living spaces. Natural textures on the floor, ceiling and main façade are preserved in order to accentuate the paths towards the landscape. The pre-stressed beams that support the new roof are maintained or replaced. The extension is supported by a column and a beam whose arrangement structures the new living space. Text description by the architects.