Built using a prefabricated laminated timber system, this nZEB home captures natural light through its shed roof
Location: Madrid, Spain
Completion: 2023
Client: Private
Architect: Positivelivings
Home Automation: JUNG
Photography by Imagen Subliminal, courtesy of Positivelivings
A single-family home designed by Positivelivings, Casa 5 Picos is set in sunbaked landscape at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range near Madrid. Built entirely of timber and classified as a nearly zero-energy building, the home has a sawtooth profile that recalls a factory – hence its name “Casa 5 Picos” or “house of the five peaks.”
The project is in a residential area of the municipality of Galapagar, in the Cuenca del Guadarrama region. Typical of the location, the steeply sloping lot is entirely granite. Located at the top of a hill, the building integrates harmoniously into the site, following the slope of the land and surrounded by the existing vegetation.
Casa 5 Picos sits east-west across the lot and faces south. Its profile resembles a warehouse, with a series of shed roofs facing south to capture the sun’s rays in winter. The windows are set back from the line of the façade to create large reveals that shade the interior from excessive light and heat in summer.
The house is a one-story design with two staggered floor levels that follow the natural slope of the site. There are three bedrooms in the upper section, while the lower section has a large living area. The home has two wings, surrounding a small patio, that join at the kitchen-dining space. From here, a few steps lead seamlessly down to the living room with its large strap windows. The front door is on the west side.
Casa 5 Picos uses a prefabricated structure comprising cross laminated timber structural walls that rest on two reinforced concrete platforms, corresponding to the two levels of the building. This building method drastically reduces both construction time and the impact on the environment.
Wrapped in a layer of thermal insulation, the house is completely white outside, while inside the timber structure is exposed in many sections, such as the living room ceiling.
The high performance of the building envelope, the home’s orientation, the design of the window openings, and the use of renewable energy sources (mainly solar) mean that the house is more energy efficient than a Passive House and achieves the nZEB standard.