Architect Agency
Arnau Vergés
Metal Builder
Plantalech
Product solutions used
LUMEAL sliders
Photographer
Marc Torra / Pep Sau
“It has been decided to award a special mention to this project for planning a simple rectangle with large wooden shutters that can open the house completely to the outside. It is all about the expression of a simple plan, very well executed, giving the idea of evident architecture.”
The Retina house, designed on a slightly sloping plot, consists of two parallelepipeds arranged in an L shape that give it a profoundly contemporary air. Its composition is based on concrete blocks, organised with few interior spaces on an open floor plan, where the functions of sleeping, eating and communicating are perfectly distributed in a warm environment. Thus, the project assumes an attitude of constant dialogue and observation of the environment that is reflected through a series of tilting wooden shutters that, when opened, form a south façade with full-height windows.
The rest of the facades of this regular parallelepiped are opaque. Elements such as the garage, the pond, the walkway or the inclined wall in the background that follows and cuts the steep slope, configure a flat surface. And, on it, rests the house.
This is the story of a family refuge to enjoy the nature and the simple things: a time machine that wishes to retain this precious landscape that has not yet changed.
The large LUMEAL XXL sliding doors play a key role in the relationship between the house and its surroundings,forming a viewpoint sheltered from the sun when the wooden "eyelids" are opened.