A Concrete Family House In Navarre Succeeds For Its Simplicity.

Carlos Pereda and scar Pérez of the Pereda-Pérez Architects firm, who won the Spanish COAVN Architecture Prize in 2013, created this simple family home on the outskirts of Pamplona. The architects designed a minimalist block of concrete, solid and white, "almost like a monolith" on a parcel of land in the valley of Egüés, in Navarra, with a height difference between its extremities of 16 meters in the east-west direction. The home has a rectangular design and is divided onto two levels and two autonomous areas: one more sociable and one more concealed, private, and quiet.

The home is a white concrete block that stands out from the surroundings without being overpowering.

Aside from the program, the remainder of the project's conditioning variables were connected to compliance with existing legal rules, which underlined the necessity to create inclined roofs, suggesting that at least 60% of the roof must have a 30% slope.

This is an example of a "elementary dwelling" according to Pereda. It is modest and rudimentary, with very basic prisms, similar to the Navarran cottages in the countryside, and with a sloping roof since it typically rains. It's similar to an archetype, a primary volume.

The proposal is built on two floors: one at street level on its top level, which contains the house's communal areas, and another on a lower level, which houses the planned rooms.

The kitchen and living room are combined into one wide open area, with a wooden island serving as the sole barrier between them and the guest bathroom.

The landscape is a really crucial feature that we wanted to capitalize on with the concept, because the home is both enjoyed and protected by the surroundings. The home includes floor-to-floor windows facing the garden which is like a giant window that can be opened. The barrier between inside and outside is removed simply by shifting the sliders.

Because the top level is the main attraction when viewed from the outside, the bottom floor is somewhat hidden from the rest of the house's perspective.

Photograph by Pedro Pegenaute.