built on steep land, this passive house in spain features a semi-buried ground floor
designed for both rental and private use by its owners, the dwelling holds two independent areas that can merge into one big living space.
[FEATURED]
‘House in Monte el Pardo’ by slow studio
The passive ‘House in Monte el Pardo’ sits 30 kilometers from Madrid in a plot with scenic views and orientation. Slow Studio was commissioned to complete the project as a house that owners can rent out most of the year while maintaining a private space. The plot’s sloping topography helped the Studio accommodate both needs by generating a two-story house with independent access from the outside to each level. Specifically, the residence holds two separate areas that can be converted into one big space if needed.
a two-story house fueled by daylight + natural ventilation
Slow Studio (see more here) organized the access on the first floor via a walkway that breaks down the plot’s steep slope. The resulting level is fitted with a living-dining room, kitchen, and small study bedroom connected to the exterior. Such a complete setup allows it to operate independently from the ground floor.
As this is a compact house, the architects guaranteed good sunlight and ventilation in all rooms by designing two courtyards. The south courtyard is key to ensuring proper natural ventilation without incurring energy losses. It is a double-height space with a glazed roof that can be opened or closed depending on the season.
When closed in winter, the glazing creates a greenhouse effect that preheats the natural air outside. In summer, the open roof carries out ventilation through a 30-meter-long tube running under the house and introduces air at 20 ºC during the hottest days. Moreover, the building’s longitudinal shape enables cross-ventilation from the north facade on the upper floor and from the north patio to aerate the lower level.
Besides ventilation, the project also considers indoor air quality by avoiding finishing products (varnishes, glues, and paints) that contain toxic substances emitted as volatile organic compounds.
bioclimatic construction systems
The architects combined two construction systems to save costs and guarantee comfort according to spatial functions. They first built the semi-buried ground floor out of concrete thermal inertia walls before raising the first floor with a semi-prefabricated and lightweight timber frame made of PEFC-certified pine wood.
The facade structure comprises a framework of laminated pine laths, protected on the outside by OSB panels and on the inside by glue-free gypsum fiber panels. The interior partitions are made with clay-coated cellulose panels, the floors with manual terracotta pieces, and the enclosures clad in wood. Finally, the studio installed an 8,000-liter rainwater recovery tank for cleaning and toilets to make the most use of water resources.
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project info:
name: House in Monte el Pardo
location: Monte el Pardo, Madrid, Spain
architecture: Slow Studio
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