CAVAA arquitectes: house santa coloma

‘house santa coloma’ by CAVAA arquitectes, santa coloma de cervelló, spain image © filippo poli

located in the center of santa coloma de cervelló, a town close to barcelona, spain, rests a 390 square meter semi-detached dwelling by spanish practice CAVAA arquitectes. built for two families on a former orchard, the program called for similar objectives, such as a living space, kitchen, dining area, children study, games room, master ensuite and garage. the only difference was the request for extra soundproofing to allow the client to perform music without disturbing their adjacent neighbor.

the exterior emerges as a single volume with offsetting features to create an asymmetrical facade. a central courtyard is positioned to separate the homes which also acts as a skylight and chimney to allow natural light and ventilation into the separate dwellings. the interior activities are positioned to take advantage of the outdoor areas found on the ground level. the living and games-rooms are directly linked to the south-facing garden creating a physical and visual axis for the building. the cement exteriors are detailed with ceramic lattices to filter the light and solar radiation which are painted white to create a single tectonic appearance.

yard and driveway entry separated by a fenceimage © filippo poli

pebble paved courtyardimage © filippo poli

landscaped yardimage © filippo poli

separation of the dwellings through an open enclosureimage © filippo poli

image © filippo poli

view from street levelimage © filippo poli

(left) glass entrance to dwelling (right) ceramic latticesimages © filippo poli

terraced levelsimage © filippo poli

(left) patio (right) corner window detailimages © filippo poli

large windowimage © filippo poli

dining areaimage © filippo poli

stairwayimage © filippo poli

floor plan / level 0 image courtesy of CAVAA arquitectes

floor plan / level 1 image courtesy of CAVAA arquitectes

floor plan / level 2 image courtesy of CAVAA arquitectes

circulation diagram image courtesy of CAVAA arquitectes

section image courtesy of CAVAA arquitectes

project info:

architects: CAVAA ARQUITECTES. jordi calbetó and oriol vañó location: santa coloma de cervelló, barcelona. consultants: francesc llabrés, structures. valentí albareda, quality surveyor. area: 390 sqm project year: 2010-2011 photographer: filippo poli