GARRALDA BUILDINGS

4 Social Dwellings Building

Location: Navarra, Spain

Client: Navarra de Suelo y Vivienda (Nasuvinsa) 

State: Competition. First Prize

Built

Year: 2019-2022

In collaboration with: Naza Arquitectura y Diseño

The project has been defined with two fundamental objectives, on the one hand, its landscape integration in an environment as cared for as that of Garralda and the Aézcoa valley, and, on the other, to achieve the highest housing quality of the proposed homes. 

After analyzing the archetypal features of the traditional Basque-Navarra “Caserío”, the decision to divide the required program into two volumes was taken, with steeply pitched roofs, and arranged in opposite directions to favour the dialogue with their surroundings. In addition, the choice of materials is sensitive to the place, by the use of typical materials such as white mortar on facades and wood on roofs and shutters, recovering and reinterpreting the use of wood tiles typical of the area. The finishing of the roof and the shutters of the galleries are arranged in continuity, giving the proposal its own identity. This reinterpretation of the “Caserío” links the proposal with the collective memory of the place. 

Furthermore, the houses are designed with maximum flexibility criteria favouring different ways of living. The cross-laminated wood structure is limited to the façade and partitions with common elements, favouring interior transformations. All the houses are accessible for people with reduced mobility, and have been designed with sustainable criteria (Passivhaus standard). The size of the openings and the use of large terraces also provides a link with the landscape from the inside, reinforcing the feeling of belonging to the place, as well as improving the quality of life provided by the homes.