Marunys: shell house

Sant Joan les Fonts, Spain

Photo © Pep Sau

Situation

Drawing © unparelld'arquitectes

Axonometric

Drawing © unparelld'arquitectes

Ground floor

Drawing © unparelld'arquitectes

First floor

Drawing © unparelld'arquitectes

Basement floor

Drawing © unparelld'arquitectes

Sections SL1 + ST1

Drawing © unparelld'arquitectes

Sections ST2 + ST3

Constructive detail

Single Houses

Architects: unparelld'arquitectes

Location: Sant Joan les Fonts, Spain
Year: 2016
Client: Private
Team: Jordi Moret, Xevi Rodeja, Aina Roca, Adrià Masó, Laura Plana, Francesc Baqué, Dídac Franco, Jordi Collell, Paula Alejandro, Thommy Parra, Sergi Jiménez
Building engineer: Jesús Bassols Geli
Structural designer: Miquel Capdevila
Builder: Cros Encofrats, S.L., Jaume Coma Nogué, Plantalech, S.L., Daniel Faja Grabolosa, Mobles Iglesias

The building, which seems massive, sits atop a headland on the outskirts of town. One could say that the house completes the physiography of the area. The entrance, dominated by a small square and a stone bench, silhouettes the highest point, right when the two roads converge. Starting from a hypothetical rectangular house, with a pitched roof and a structure of parallel vaults, the volume is chamfered to follow the road and embrace the garden.

It faces the older Mas Marunys. The respective narrow façades look onto each other, flanking the road. The newer building also has bonds with the local building tradition, recalling the implementation strategy, the structural system and the volumetry of the country house.

The entire home is designed with overlaid structures, which take on inertia through their bent or curved shapes. The concavity of the roofs and walls goes hand in hand with inside activities, differentiating rooms and corners on a ground floor designed as a flowing space.

The ceiling and partition walls are responsible for covering a refined case inside, contrasting with the austerity of the concrete formwork with pine sheets. The pattern of the vault and the lathing on the walls is a subtle reference to textiles, patterns, in short, a domestic scene. They are welcoming, comforting and sensitive to variations in light and chromatic tones, reverberating depending on environmental conditions.