Conde Orgaz House, Madrid

Based on the study of the program of needs and the characteristics of the site, an L-shaped house was designed by tresunouno in Madrid, delimiting a well-tended interior garden. The integration of living and outdoor spaces has generated large porches that extend from the house entrance to the outdoor spaces, blurring the boundaries of the building. The main area of the house is located in the main bay, parallel to Frascuelo Street. On the first floor, the living, dining and kitchen areas are arranged as contiguous spaces that minimize the presence of corridors and guide the circulation from one area to another, taking into account visuals and perspectives.

On this floor, there is a patio attached to the entry façade that illuminates the kitchen, living room and a corner office. This patio also provides adequate lighting to the landing area of the access from the basement, which will certainly be the most frequent access. In the upper floors, this bay reduces its volume to adapt to the scale of the building. It contains the bedroom program on the first floor and an upper volume on the second floor that opens to the landscape from the highest levels of the house and is intended to be used as a gym. In the shortest bay, which formalizes the other side of the L, the rooms with the most singular use are arranged. On the first floor is the guest area, which can be used independently from the rest of the house. The bay is completed with a multipurpose room and a bathroom with access both from the room and from the pool through the courtyard. It is planned that the communication between the house and the multipurpose room will be made through the outside porch in mild weather. At other times, the porch area will be enclosed by a large sliding element that will formalize this area as a gallery. On the second floor there is a library that is open as a gallery to the garden, with private access from the master bedroom and from the first floor, and communicates with the other office of the house.

The master bedroom, the gallery and the office are articulated around a terrace that has been designed for more private use. In the north corner, the staircase has been placed with a careful study of its lighting and allows the articulation of circulation from the basement levels to the roof volume.

The service areas, storage and installation areas are located on the basement level. An English courtyard will provide natural lighting to these spaces. The proposed volume integrates the strategic positioning of openings and glazed facades depending on the views from each space. The alternation of glazed elements and opaque panels pursues both the desired openness towards the garden and the ability to configure the spaces with the necessary privacy.

The presence of sliding panels and adjustable rolling shutters to protect the openings will also be a defining element of the composition. The proposal includes the choice of a light-colored stone cladding that will unify the volumetry and allow the facades to become visual backgrounds for the vegetation of a garden delimited by the bays of the building and configured as the central element of the project. The presence of shrubs alternating with larger trees is planned.

The swimming pool is located in the southwest corner. The layout of the exterior paving will reinforce the idea of blurring the boundaries between exterior and interior spaces. The mandatory setback from Frascuelo Street will be landscaped to structure access and slopes. In the northeastern setback, the access ramp to the garage is located, taking advantage of the lowest level of the site. Adjacent to this, but at ground level, is a small sports area adjacent to the proposed grove of trees.  

Foundations and structure
A reinforced concrete retaining wall will be built at the access to the garage and the rest of the perimeter retaining walls. Based on the results of the geotechnical study, the support of the load-bearing structure will be on isolated and combined concrete footings. The structure is planned with flat reinforced concrete slabs supported on reinforced concrete and steel columns/screen.  

Facade
Ventilated facade with natural stone cladding type of travertine. A darker colored cladding will be used in the porch area and in front of the bedroom openings. The cladding will be fixed to a brick masonry base.

Roof
The inverted roof solution is used for the roofs. Based on the different uses, they will be constructed with floating pavement of stone tiles, technical wood for outdoor use, gravel finish or landscaped roof solution. Below the finishing level, insulation and the appropriate anti-puncture and waterproofing layers are placed on the regularized base.  

Internal Partitions
For the distribution of fixed areas (toilets, storerooms, installation spaces, etc.), interior divisions consist of gypsum plasterboard partitions, with double board/insulation/double board composition and moisture-proof or fire-resistant features where required. Facade walls with double gypsum board and cavity insulation. Safety partitions in the main bedroom.

Interior Carpentry
Doors will be either textured wood paneled or semi-solid smooth lacquered doors. All doors will have stainless steel handles. They will be flush with the exterior, forming a single plane with the flashings, and will pivot on a vertical axis.

Exterior Carpentry
Anodised aluminium joinery with thermal bridge break. They will combine fixed panels with practical (tilt and turn) and sliding elements. Glazing with thermal chamber to meet energy and acoustic insulation requirements. The large openings on the first floor will have large sliding doors and windows (Panoramah type or similar) that can be folded into the enclosures. Sliding aluminium louvres for solar control will be incorporated into these openings. The rest of the openings will have external aluminium rolling and adjustable shutters with motorised drive, with additional drive centralisation next to each opening. The external doors will be armoured, with a textured wood internal panelling in continuity with the rest of the panelling and a melamine wood external surface. They will be fitted with safety anti-bumping locks.

Finishings
Bathrooms and office/kitchen tiled with stone/porcelain tiles. Textured wood panelling throughout. Continuous plasterboard false ceilings with moisture control features where required. Continuous acoustic ceilings considered in stagnant areas, lightened cementitious slabs in external ceilings. Smooth, soft-coloured plastic paint on walls an ceilings.

Pavements
Natural stone and large format ceramic tiles in the stairwell and ground floor areas. Solid or laminate flooring in bedrooms. Stone or porcelain tile flooring in the office and wet areas.

Pool
In the swimming pool area, natural stone and technical wood for outdoor use.