There’s No Front Door at This Family Home Outside Barcelona
The brick residence has several entries placed around the perimeter, and is heated only via a woodburning stove and the sun.
The brick residence has several entries placed around the perimeter, and is heated only via a woodburning stove and the sun.
In moving from an apartment in bustling Barcelona to Matadepera, a quiet village roughly 45 minutes away by car, one could assume you’d easily find more privacy. But that wasn’t so for Gloria, Jordi, and their two children, who built their first home on a lot shared with in-laws.
Located in Matadepera, Spain, this 1,539-square-foot house for a family of four is composed of nine interconnected boxes that support a flexible lifestyle.
Photo by José Hevia
To design a home that felt independent without being closed off, they turned to Alventosa Morell Arquitectes—close friends and experienced collaborators. "The challenge was to find a balance between maintaining the privacy of the home and the physical and emotional connection with the other nearby family homes," says Xavier Morell Jané, one of the studio’s cofounders.
The central living space has a raised ceiling with operable clerestories to bring in breezes. The room’s woodburning stove, and the sun, provide all the heat for the home. "I love when people come over in the middle of winter and find out there is no extra heating," says Jordi.
Photo by José Hevia
Lofty volta catalan ceilings run throughout the house.
Photo by José Hevia
See the full story on Dwell.com: There’s No Front Door at This Family Home Outside Barcelona
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