Casa MDN: the traditional exterior conceals the dynamic spatial richness

Casa MDN is a single-family home built from scratch in a small town in the Penendés region of Spain that is experiencing a revival thanks to the alternative education offerings of its schools. The house reflects in its form the desire to embrace new ways of life for its inhabitants

A visionary internal spatial composition

Alternative education, more serene work rhythms, a healthier and more natural environment, sustainable living are the parameters that have driven the clients of Casa MDN to move away from urban chaos and pollution. The house, which spans two lots adjacent to a crossroads of streets and three floors, thanks to its visionary internal spatial composition, manages to create an inspiring, dynamic living environment, with great privacy yet connected to the outside

Aesthetically essential and rigorous facades with some "offbeat" details

In the characteristic style of architecture projects by the Spanish studio Nook Architects, Casa MDN embodies an innovative way of living and conceiving space. From the outside, it appears as a building composed of a main volume, the residence that spans three levels, with the ground floor highlighted by the brick finish extending to create the adjacent low volume that houses the garage and reinforces the street-facing corner, as required by municipal regulations. Aesthetically essential and rigorous, the facades suggest, through some "offbeat" details, an interior rich in surprises

Passive control of thermal comfort and adopted construction solutions

Only the ground floor interior occupies the entire volume surface. As you go up, the other levels proceed by increasing the degree of intimacy and reducing the occupied surface. A large free space at full height connects floors, functions, and inhabitants. The central void creates an excellent chimney for natural and cross ventilation which, together with the correction of thermal bridges with significant insulation thicknesses and adjustable blinds, allows for optimal and passive control of thermal comfort. The building features a concrete and thermo-clay slab on the ground floor with dry construction using CLT wood panels on the upper floors and for the pitched roof

Internal Functions and Finishes

The interior program includes a rich variety of functions in addition to bedrooms, living room, kitchen, dining room, and services, such as space for play, craft workshop, and study. The construction materials, left exposed, become the internal finishes: concrete on the ground floor, wood panels on the upper levels, etc. Only the bathrooms feature white ceramic coverings with terracotta-colored grout. All metallic elements, such as pillars and handrails, are finished in copper

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PEOPLE

Nook Architects

Carrer de Lepant, 258, Barcelona, Spain