Spaces playing with the light

Lara and Thomas always had the dream of building their own home, either by renovating an existing home or starting from nothing. They got a plot of land in the centre of Ràfol d'Almunia, a small town in the Marina Alta region of Alicante, and we immediately began to study and develop the many possibilities that the plot had.

On the one hand, we were conditioned by the existing garage and its structure, divided into three sections, which allowed us to place on the upper floor the 3 volumes that would make up the day area; living room, dining room and kitchen. In the unbuilt space we placed the staircase core and the bedrooms. 

The owners were looking for light and ventilation. After a study of the sunlight and the prevailing winds in the area, we decided to create a direct north-south connection, which would renew the interior air in summer. In the midst of this created current, a patio was placed, with the aim of bringing natural light where we usually do not find it in a house of this type; the access staircase, the corridor and the new garage, a space where Thomas will spend a great deal of time due to his profession.

The last condition applied in the house, and in close collaboration with the owners, is energy efficiency seen from a passive point of view, and not only through low-consumption installations. That is why, in addition to the installation of underfloor heating and hot water powered by solar panels, we played with the sunlight to control the sun naturally, allowing it to access the rooms in winter and avoiding direct radiation in summer.

Today the owners still invite us to their house, where we enjoy the natural light that radiates from every corner, and with spaces where we can enjoy their two children, Laia and Arnau.