Residential Oia

Alicante, Spain

Plot characteristics

Firstly, the characteristics of the plot where it is located, characterized by its small size for the total permitted buildability, a steeply sloping topography and an irregular geometry in plan.

Urban ordinances

On the other hand, the urban planning ordinances of this planning area, to a certain extent perverse, allow double-height covered outdoor spaces not to be counted at the buildability level. Logically, this regulatory loophole is used to the maximum and is a variable to be taken into account from the beginning in the design of the building.

Structural solution

Through a unique structural design, generous terraces with a 4-meter cantilever are achieved, which, along with their staggered layout, are the distinctive feature in the building’s image.

DISTRIBUTION

Taking advantage of the steep slope, access to the garage, located in basement 2, is done avoiding the use of a ramp, from the lowest part of the plot. In basement 1, spaces are developed for collective use: swimming pool, garden areas, gym, storage rooms and social club.

The ground floor has four one-bedroom homes while the rest of the floors have two larger homes. The roof of the building divides its use between that intended for collective use to resolve installations and placement of solar panels and private use with access via stairs, not visible from the outside, from the third-floor homes.

Facade

The large terraces of the homes, resolved by powerful 4-meter cantilevers, made from inverted concrete beams, allow the avoidance of structural supports and thus free the beautiful views towards the sea from visual obstacles. Furthermore, they allow defining a first plane of the façade that gives cohesion to the set of terraces and that makes the most of the buildability of the plot.

Two construction solutions are used on the façade: The walls of the building are resolved by a ventilated façade made of composite panel and aluminum slats. The latter allow the galleries of the homes and the access stairs to the deck to be hidden from the inside. On the other hand, larger facades are solved using a laminated plasterboard system coated with an acrylic mortar. This system allows, with minimal thickness, to provide the building with extraordinary thermal and acoustic performance.