Pier House. Peñalagos, Guadalajara
2024
Architect: Ignacio Borrego
Collaborators: Francesca Piva, Pauline de Vathaire, Federico Arca Sedda, Andrea Valentini, David Silva, Anna Elena Priarone
Construction Director: Ignacio Borrego
Execution Direction: Javier Mach and Javier González (Dirtec)
Structure and construction: Baupanel
Facilities: Raúl Lirola (3D3)
Photographs: Imagen Subliminal (Miguel de Guzmán + Rocío R. Rivas)
Location: Peñalagos, Guadalajara (Spain)
Project: 2018
Completion date: 2024
Plot surface: 5,000 m2
Built area: 253 m2
We are located in the Entrepeñas reservoir, exactly next to the upper limit of the eventual floods. In response to the desire that this place invites, a wooden jetty extends towards the horizon to reach the water.
In this pine forest, a sandstone rock stands out that accentuates the irregularity of the terrain and suggests perching on it to enjoy the best views of the surroundings. A simple monolithic and robust construction sits in balance perched on a promontory and shelters the residential program on a single floor.
These two pieces, house and jetty, of the same width (6 m) and length (27 m), intersect in the heart of the house, which is both interior space and exterior space as the climate permits. The wooden terrace begins at ground level and along its route we cross the house and begin to fly over the terrain that descends until at the opposite end we appear above the treetops. It is a light and exposed place where we can dominate the forest at high altitude.
Under the house there is an independent space with access from the outside, under the cantilever formed by the bedrooms in balance from the upper part. An alternative room to the house, a cave in which to escape the heat of the most extreme hours of summer, also taking advantage of the great shade provided by the overhang of the house. In this case we enjoy the protection of the house and feel its weight on us.
The rooms of this house are organized in a conventional way, separating the rest area from the public area that is open to outdoor spaces. There are two complementary rooms: one of them is completely exposed to the landscape crossed by the large terrace and can be completely opened to become part of it; The other room, more sheltered, with a fireplace and a large window to the south is more sheltered for the winter.
The materialization of the house, made of mass-pigmented concrete in black and formwork with wooden slats of various squares that aims to integrate into the environment of the bark of the pines, dark and fissured. These slats were later reused to build a children’s house on a tree.
The presence of the wooden pavement of the terrace is close to the reddish tone of the clay soil.
The materials seek to ensure that the complex is perceived with discretion both from the nearby environment and from the reservoir.
The simple crossing of house and jetty, offers a great diversity of outdoor spaces thanks to the variations in the topography. Shade or sun, views or privacy, shelter or exposure, noon or north can be chosen around the house depending on the time of year, the weather and the hours of the day.
The illusion of reaching the water is satisfied thanks to the pool that is located under the jetty and is formed against the rock. In this way you can jump into the water both from the pontoon and from the rock itself.
Technical description:
The entire construction of the house is a continuous and light monolith of reinforced concrete made using a commercial industrialized system. The thickness of the concrete façade is only 4cm and the walls are a slight structural sandwich of an insulating panel and a thin layer of mortar on each side. The insulation thicknesses (14cm on facades and 20cm on the roof) offer a very stable thermal behaviour despite the large windows. The interior mortar layer also generates a thermal inertia far above any conventional construction. The house becomes a large rigid beam whose cantilever is supported by a simple balance. Finally, it is a large inhabited light beam that rests on more than half of its length on the ground.
The structure of the large terrace is made up of rolled steel profiles on clusters of cylindrical pillars also made of steel. The inclination of the pillars together with the anchorage provided by the pool ladder allows for light bracing and emphasizing the sensation of flight over the trees.