Architects: Menhir Arquitectura
Area: 168 m²
Year: 2024
Lead Architects: Roger Giralt, Ernest Planes
Technical Team: Nuria Ferrando
City: Vilafranca del Penedès
Country: Spain
House of Pipu and Marta residential renovation project by Menhir Arquitectura transforms a narrow urban plot into a vertically layered home that emphasizes material restoration and sectional design. Retaining only the original street facade, select slabs, and load-bearing party walls, the project restructures the space through new concrete elements while celebrating the textures of the existing materials. A series of staggered platforms organize the program in both vertical and horizontal flows, moving from public to private areas. A walled garden enclosed by high party walls becomes central, with a new concrete-slab living room connecting to the garden. Exposed stone walls and a lightweight staircase reinforce vertical continuity throughout the house. The southeast-facing rear facade uses large glass surfaces for winter solar gain, protected in summer by Alicante shutters and existing walls. The house incorporates underfloor heating powered by aerothermal energy, with special focus on insulation, airtightness, and the elimination of thermal bridges to ensure energy efficiency.
The project occupies a plot situated between party walls, measuring 3.5 meters in width and 35 meters in length, with a buildable depth of 22 meters that presents a valuable opportunity for the design. From the existing structure, which originally included a ground floor, mezzanine, first floor, and attic, only the street facade, selected slabs, and the load-bearing party walls are preserved. These retained elements are carefully dismantled and restored to emphasize the quality and texture of their materials, contributing significantly to the home’s new identity.
The low heights of the existing floors and the positioning of the backyard garden between levels necessitate a sectional design approach, with each room placed at a distinct height. The various platforms organize and define the program. The house unfolds as a sequence of spaces that gradually transition from less private to more private areas, interconnected through both horizontal and vertical pathways.
The walled patio, defined by its high party walls, immediately captured the architects’ attention. Within this enclosed space, a garden is sheltered by three slender mulberry trees reaching toward the sun. The decision was made to situate the living room within this garden, integrating interior and exterior environments.
The new space is covered with a one-way reinforced concrete slab, cast on-site. This heavy structural element rests on the thick stone walls. The area is enclosed by a large glass wall that opens directly to the garden, and it is separated from the existing building by a patio where one of the mulberry trees is transplanted.
The roof of the new pavilion is finished with a green roof, providing private access from the main bedroom located on the upper floor. A lightweight staircase vertically connects all levels of the home. To enrich this vertical journey, the stone of the party wall is left exposed, accompanying movement from the foyer up to the attic.
The interior facade faces southeast and is designed predominantly with glass to maximize direct solar gain during the winter, while protection from the summer sun is provided by Alicante shutters and the estate’s existing walls. The house is climate-controlled through underfloor heating powered by aerothermal energy, and the entire envelope, including the floor, facade, and roof, is carefully treated to avoid thermal bridges and to ensure a high level of air tightness.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Vilafranca del Penedès, 08720, Barcelona, Spain
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
Featured originally on Arquitectura Red and curated for Architecture Lab readers.
