House in Molino de la Hoz
House in Molino de la Hoz, Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain
Architect: Mariano Molina Iniesta
Project: 2013 Built: 2014-2015
Team: José Luis Zabala de Lope, Enrique Sánchez Vázquez
Surveyor: Juan José Herranz Calleja
Building director: Mariano Molina Iniesta
Construction manager: Juan José Herranz Calleja
Collaborator: José Luis Zabala de Lope
Contratctor: IE Sodelor (Francisco Hernández, jefe de obra; Ignacio Bellón, encargado de obra)
Built Surface: 459,1 m2
On a sloping plot with privileged views, we were asked to build a house essentially on one level, in which the kitchen had to be an outstanding element. With these premises, along with the desire to capture, as far as possible, the surrounding open space, the house was organized around two courts: one called the sun patio, oriented towards east and south, where the pool is located, and the shadow patio, facing north, more intimate and informal; the kitchen serves as a connecting element, participating simultaneously from both of them. The pool, transformed into a pond, extends right to its edge and aims to enliven it with a constant play of reflections.
The living area, which occupies the central position of the scheme, opens towards the sun patio and revolves around a huge hanging fireplace, which defines two distinct areas. Surrounded by a skylight and an impluvium shaped roof, at noon the fireplace becomes a large lantern that illuminates the whole central area. Finally, the bedrooms are grouped into two volumes which soar over the lower part of the site and dominate the landscape as watchtowers.
Constructively, rough textures and presence of matter were sought: the dominant materials are a slightly granulated concrete below ground level and masonry of handmade bricks above it. From the street, the latter appears as a substantially continuous skin, punctuated only occasionally by lattices made of the same kind of brick.
Architects: Mariano Molina
Mariano Molina Iniesta
www.marianomolinaarquitecto.es
mm@marianomolinaarquitecto.es
Architect, graduated from the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) in 1997. PhD architect from UPM since 2015. Obtained the First National Prize of Architecture, awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture to the best academic records among graduating students from all schools of architecture in the country. Collaborated from 1997 to 2000 at the architectural office of Rafael Moneo Vallés. Received a fellowship from La Caixa to pursue post-professional studies in the US and, as a result of it, obtained a Master degree in Architecture with Distinction at Harvard University, in 2002. On completion of this program, he received the Kevin V. Kieran Prize, awarded by the Department of Architecture in recognition of the highest level of academic achievement among students graduating from the post-professional Master in Architecture (MArch II) program at Harvard University. Mariano Molina works as a freelance architect and structural consultant since 2002, with past and ongoing commissions in Spain, US, Mexico, Morocco and Ethiopia. He is currently lecturing at the Institute of Technology, CEU San Pablo University (Escuela Politécnica Superior de la Universidad CEU San Pablo). Courses taught since 2002 include Structural Analysis, Structural Dimensioning, Advanced Structural Design and History of Architecture. He also serves as structural advisor for Thesis Project at CEU San Pablo University. He has also been a faculty member at the Master’s Program in Building Structures, sponsored by Escuela de la Edificación Foundation and Technical University of Madrid (UPM), between 2004 and 2011.
