untercio arquitectura: vallecas 47 social housing project, madrid

the main feature of the housing block are the full-height sliding balcony windows / doors

in developing the ‘vallecas 47’ social housing project, local firm untercio arquitectura tried to imagine a dwelling in which they would like to live. the result is a complex which is bright and open, while still being intimate and adaptable– reacting to the changing seasons.

the cross-ventilated structure has been designed to offer inhabitants living options with spaces devoted to private and intimate functions. these can also be transformed into more dynamic communal rooms thanks to the installation of two large sliding windows –  which leave no mullion in the corner – that can open up the interior onto the surrounding environment. the implementation of these expansive moving elements was a direct response to the each units’s small interiors, offering owners a large terrace in the summer, and a spacious living room in the winter.

another consideration of the project was to enhance communal life through the common quarters, interconnecting them visually in order to increase encounters between the dwellers. usually closed stairwells and dark entries from elevators to the individual units are now opened up and exposed to daylight. the stairs cantilever into the south facing courtyard and provide a nice place to chat with a neighbour. this quadrangle binds the building programs together, offering a safe playground for children and bench seating strategically placed to face the busiest area on the ground floor. the development of these sections was to have people meet and develop informal social relations. from an urban point of view, the block is broken into several slices which have been split in order to multiply the free corners. the volumetric composition of the building is adapted to the small and broken image of the old ‘villa de vallecas’ located on the opposite side of the street, while its height and width match the neighboring constructions in the new urban development.

left: corner sliding windows closedright: corner sliding windows open

corner sliding windows open by night

street elevation

view from the south of the courtyard

pedestrian and car park access; courtyard at the rear

parking garage

view of the courtyard from the core of the vertical access

ground floor plan

typical floor plan layout

section

project info:commission through an open ideas competition organized by EMVS (municipal housing developer in madrid).

location: martín muñoz de las posadas, 1 and 3, ensanche de vallecas, madrid, spainlongitude: 3º37´ 32.54 latitude: 40º 22´33.23

client: EMVS (empresa municipal de la vivienda de madrid)program: 46 apartments, 20 m2 retail and commercial spaces, 47 underground parking placessite area: 1400m2architects: estudio untercio, miguel herráiz gómez, mauro iván bravo hernández, marina del mármol peces, daniel bergman vázquez, michael beckerbuilding engineer: alfonso sáenz garcíacontractor: structure fercaberbuilding envelope: dragadosbuilding facilities: SP arquitectura e ingenieríastructural engineering: mecanismo diseño y cálculo de estructuras S.L.telecommunication engineering: ramón francia castillo, ingeniero de telecomunicacionesphotographs: pedro pegenaute

project time frame:2006 – first prize open competition.2006 – start design.2007 – start construction.2012 – project completion.

planning constraints: traditional urban block with communal space in the courtyard

construction:concrete basement from foundations up to ground floor – concrete slab on column grid at 5msteel framework from first to fifth floor with composite slab on steel pillars and beams

materials:façades – baumit EPS heat insulating system and external wall insulation system; façade plates made from hard polystyrene foam act as heat insulating layer applied over a brick wall weather resistant, vapour permeable finishing coal is added to glazed surface areas – technal GTi sliding balcony doors(aluminium profiles) in living rooms

building costs: 4.080.144, 88 € 

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