Tired of living in a house with a lot of stairs, the clients decided they want to live, and already thinking about the future, in a house that could work only on the ground floor, without the need to spend all day going up and down stairs.

That’s why the essential pieces (kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, laundry and bedrooms) are placed in close relationship with the garden.

The house, designed by undos and located in Girona, Spain, is configured in four volumes, and most of the life of the building takes place downstairs. The three volumes of the ground floor intersect in a void where the staircase is located.

A self-supporting element that articulates them and connects with the first floor, which rests on the other three to configure the volumetry.

For the construction of Casa Canyes, a traditional construction system of load-bearing walls and slabs of concrete joists and ceramic vaults was chosen.

This type of construction was reinterpreted and improved, achieving a balance between energy efficiency, sustainability, the use of healthy and local materials and aesthetics.

When designing the house, bioclimatic architecture criteria has been considered as a good study of the characteristics of the place, the provision of a good thermal insulation, and for solar control we’ve opted for the usual passive systems.

(climate, orientation, direction of the prevailing winds, ...)

Made with wood fibers, to reduce the energy demand.

Alicante blinds and pergolas with plant protection, which allow the passage of sunlight during the winter and provide shade and a place to shelter from the heat during the summer.

Priority has been given to the use of the most sustainable materials possible and manufactured in places close to the site to try to reduce the ecological footprint of its manufacturing and transport process.

Insulation of wood fibers for the outside and recycled cotton inside, ceramic elements made a few kilometers from the work, etc.

For the interior furniture, fir board wood with only a varnished finish has been used.

The clients really liked this type of wood for its soft touch, the light color that gives more luminous to the spaces and the touch of warmth which makes the house more cozy.

Lawn and gravel have been used for the garden. Several trees and shrubs have also been planted, native species that adapt to the climate of Bordils.

The roof of the house is with exposed beams and vaults, thus making the spaces warmer and with more personality.