Casa Roure

Junio 2022.

Casa Roure (oak in Catalan) rests on a plot of land surrounded by oak forest.

From its initial approach, the house was thought to occupy the minimum land on the floor, creating the illusion that the house is floating on the ground leaving it as it was found. It is located in the area left by the two oak cores that surround it and that belong to the forest next to the house.

Projected in two volumes, the one on the ground floor, open to the ground and on the top floor, a black floating block, this volume flies on one of its sides creating a covered garage and main access to the house. Elevated terraces take you to the pool, a volume entirely in granite. The terraces and the pool are placed respecting all the existing trees on the land.

On the ground floor, the living room, kitchen, dining room and study space open completely on its two fronts to the outside, becoming a large porch between oaks. The ground floor, lined with wood on the outside, is almost a continuation of the forest.

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and a gym space. This level consists of a volume of black slate (material widely used in the Sierra de Madrid), which disappears between the leaves of the oaks. The rooms have large windows that frame the best views of the treetops that in summer serve as a natural shade to the rooms and in winter let all the sunlight through.

The criteria of sustainability and energy savings were extremely important in the conception of this house. CLT, a wooden structural laminate, with a negative carbon footprint, was used for the structure. The foundation has been raised to create an air chamber between the house and the land that works as a thermal insulation and moisture barrier. Slate was used for the roof and the upper-floor walls. A totally waterproof, durable and flame-retardant natural material.
Ground floor exterior cladding was used thermo-treated wood, wood that undergoes a heat process to obtain properties of durability, stability and resistance to fungus.