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Architects: ENDALT Arquitectes
- Area: 232 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:David Zarzoso
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Manufacturers: Ferm Living, Ceràmica Cumella, LA MEDITERRANEA VIDRIO ECOLÓGICO, NORMANN COPENHAGUEN, Santa & Cole, VitrA
Text description provided by the architects. The destruction of l'Horta de València, one of the main cultural and environmental values of the metropolitan area of the city, has been a constant in our territory. Within the framework of recent urbanization that is destroying a part of this heritage, Casa de les Porxades was created to recover and give meaning to the architecture of the past in the territory on which it is built and, at the same time, take advantage of the lessons of sustainability and landscape integration of vernacular architecture from a contemporary vision and language.
Formally, the house follows the path of the "alquerías" found just a few meters from this urbanization surrounded by orchards; buildings composed of a main two-sloped volume to which other volumes with diverse geometries are attached: with sloping roofs, flat roofs, porches, etc. This also gives off an air of organic growth characteristic of traditional architecture.
The house is named after its cantilevered porches, a very Mediterranean element that creates filters between the interior and exterior space. These porches play a fundamental role in the project, as the owners desired to enjoy a shaded terrace during the summer that would not be impractical on rainy days.
Thus, the decision was made to reference those porches of traditional architecture in the area but extend the house's floor slabs outward. Their dimensions and orientation to the southeast help protect the interior from excessive solar radiation in the summer but allow it to enter the house in the winter.
This is one of the bioclimatic strategies of the house, which relies on passive solutions that help to naturally climatize the house throughout the year while minimizing energy consumption.
For the openings on the upper floor, the strategy is different, since in addition to the need to generate shade to control the incidence of solar radiation on the glass, there is also the need for privacy and control of the views. Therefore, another element of the region is used: the "persianas alicantinas" (Alicante-style shutters).
The house is organized around a small interior courtyard, which evokes the significance and social function of Wright's chimneys, and to which all the social spaces are oriented. These spaces have been rethought for contemporary living, where Mediterranean culture is also reflected in their use. For example, the kitchen takes on an indisputable role and is no longer a residual space, but rather a space that welcomes a multitude of activities related to both the living areas, the terraces, and the courtyard.
In this case, the exterior gathering space is a visual reference from the interior thanks to its privileged location in the house, and it also has an important climatic function. Its height and the placement of the tilt-and-turn windows at the top of the openings allow this space to act through convection, passively cooling the house.
The ceramic, as a traditional material, becomes the protagonist, contrasting its color, geometry, and the play of light it creates in its application on the ground floor with the flatness and neatness of the volumes on the first floor. Thus, the project is based on the local, construction systems and materials known by the builders of the area. It avoids complex solutions and relies on the experience of those who have to build them.
