A 43m2 plot in the historic centre of La Morera de Montsant, enclosed by a front facade and three-party walls, is the setting for this innovative residential architecture project. The true technical challenge of this weekend single-family home lies in maximizing the available space. To achieve this, the design strategy respects the essence of the rural environment and consolidates the pre-existing structures, reaching a seamless integration.
The building is developed across three functionally optimized floors to make the most of every square meter. On the ground floor, the main entrance is located next to a small bathroom with a laundry area, while a semi-basement zone with higher clearance houses a multi-purpose room equipped with storage closets.
The first floor stands out for its open-concept design, unifying the dining room, living room, and kitchen into a single space to increase visual spaciousness. For its part, the second floor is reserved for the night area. Here, two bedrooms are arranged under a pitched roof, accompanied by a bathroom and a walk-in closet located under a section of flat roof.
Since the street facing the house is very narrow, the pitched roof was cut back at the rear of the building, right above the bathroom and walk-in closet. This architectural solution guarantees an optimal input of natural light and efficient cross-ventilation throughout the house. The luminous flow descends to the lower floors through a staircase strategically designed and positioned for this purpose.
The staircase becomes a key piece of the interior design in its second section. It is conceived with independent wooden steps suspended from metal studs fixed between the floor slabs. In this way, it acts as a separating element between the kitchen and the living-dining room as a visual filter, without physically dividing the spaces.
In contrast, the first section of the staircase is completely enclosed. This is done to ensure thermal and acoustic insulation, successfully isolating the ground floor from the day area.
Finally, the interior design balances modernity and tradition. The predominant white colour in the finishes is combined with the stone of the pre-existing walls and the warmth of oak wood flooring. This carefully selected palette of materials results in a contemporary village house, fully integrated into the landscape and the rural environment of Montsant.
Selected work in the VII Architecture Biennale of Tarragona.