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> Circular House

Madrid, Spain
2018 - 2019
Architectural design, urban and
property research:
Husos + elii
Business plan, management and social
innovation model and property research:
Ultrazul
Client:
Fundación Daniel y Nina Carasso


 

Composition of knowledges and circularity
This is one of the two building prototypes commissioned by the Carasso Foundation for its future headquarters in Madrid. It is part of a first commission for a Feasibility Study. This study is a «360-degree design» carried out by a large multidisciplinary team coordinated by two groups: Contenedor (architectural project) and Contenidos (development of the economic, management and social innovation model). Both groups were also responsible for coordinating the urban and real estate research to carry out the project. The building must accommodate different agents and uses linked to the Foundation's main lines of action: sustainable food (hereinafter SF) and citizen art (CA). The objective is to build a model building in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability, designed under the principles of circularity.










































Instead of building from scratch, we propose to reuse and rehabilitate an empty building. This building is located near the Paseo de la Castellana. It is a two-story building of 29 x 33 meters with a large walkable roof. Its extensive roof and its horizontal proportion make it possible to have a large shared green space on the outside, but also pose the challenge of solving the problem of natural and direct lighting and ventilation inside the building. For this reason, one of the first decisions in the project is to open a large courtyard-atrium in the heart of the structure, to allow the passage of light. The central courtyard is the core of the activities of the CA, although it will also serve as a multipurpose stage for different types of events and uses linked to the SF, and to other communities that will have a place in the house. The courtyard is the connecting element of the whole house.






A food circuit is organized around a terrace-garden, which is completed with a greenhouse, different types of experimental and training kitchens, an organic food market, compost bins and other facilities related to the SF. Between these two areas, terrace and courtyard, different types of spaces dedicated to collaborative work are distributed within the building. The spaces closer to the SF and those more linked to the CA are closely related, encouraging exchanges from one area to the other, following the desire of the Carasso Foundation to promote the «composition of knowledges» within the building.

Bioclimatic roof and facade
A vegetable floor on the garden terrace protects the building on its upper face, both in winter and summer. On its sides, a bioclimatic facade acts as a thermal regulator.
























The outer layer consists of a wooden structure from responsibly managed forests. It supports a vertical garden with pots made of recycled PET felt. This structure is surrounded by a mesh of tensioned steel cables and a series of awnings to control solar incidence in summer, with different opacity treatments in its different facades. Its interior layer consists of glazed sliding doors and wooden carpentry.

20 environmental actions
As part of the goal of achieving a near-zero consumption building, a total of twenty environmental actions are proposed. In addition to those already mentioned, the following are highlighted, for example: rainwater and gray water reuse circuits, adjustment of setpoint temperatures, incorporation of low-energy impact materials according to their life cycle, lighting control through the installation of focal lights instead of ambient lighting, and photo-voltaic and solar panel systems. All this forms an energy landscape with indicators that make its management visible. Together with the food circuit, we tried to create a garden building with a didactic and at the same time playful resource management.















 























Client: Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation /

Architectural project, urban and property research: Husos arquitecturas (Camilo García, Diego Barajas) + elii [architecture office] (Uriel Fogué, Eva Gil and Carlos Palacios) /

Business plan, management and social innovation model and property research:
Ultrazul (Julia López Varela + Zuloark) /

Collaborators Husos + elii: Aníbal Arenas, Gemma Barricarte, Raquel Cano, Álvaro Heredia, Sophia Latrou, Ana López, Teresa Martínez, Juan Mateos, Jimena Jaén, João Manfrinato, Lucía Fernández, Francisco Toré, Mónica Palfy, Giulia Poma, Stefania Rasile, Ilaria Sasdelli, Elena Taliano, Almudena Tenorio, Marta Vaquero / Collaborators Ultrazul: Sebastián Fernández Russomando, Azul Telecom, Nani Moré, Ainhoa Moreno, Lakook-CEAR, Deluz y Compañía, Fôret, Ansón y Bonet, Araceli Jaliff, Antonella Broglia, Larisa Cabañas, Juanito Jones, David Cárdenas, Leyre Romero, María Giselle Pérez, Javier Lorés, Juan Parodi, Irene Zugasti / 3D Images: Manuel Monteserín with Husos + elii / Other collaborators: Preliminary advice on bioclimatic project: Cundall / Preliminary advice on LCA: Ecometro / Property search advice: Group mind / preliminary LCA consultancy: Ecómetro / Surface area: 2500 m2.