156 Housing in Carabanchel, Madrid
Begoña Diaz-Urgorri  Morphosis 

156 Housing in Carabanchel, Madrid

Begoña Diaz-Urgorri  Morphosis 


The insertion of landscapes as building element, in both a literal and a figurative sense, prompts to explore different hierarchies and social models during the design process, taking the medieval town as point of reference rather than the modern city with its apartment blocks. The primary area is conceived as a mutation of the landscape and the residential types of the small town: courts and paths covered with vegetation in trellises surrounding two-level units. The program consists of 141 dwellings of two, three and four bedrooms in a total of 10,389 square meters. The dwellings are in the middle of the complex flanked by a low volume on one side and another of six floors plus attic with the depth of one unit (6.3 meters) on the other, where the access is. An underground parking keeps the residential area free from cars, seeking a small town atmosphere with narrow pedestrian paths. The landscape makes its way into the complex in the form of a large public central court that provides 3,000 square meters of garden space. The plants will shade the houses, thus reducing the temperature during the hot Madrid summers. Like a carpet, the plants climb up the taller building, providing their users with shelter... [+]


Cliente Client

Empresa Municipal de la Vivienda y Suelo, S.A

Arquitectos Architects

Begoña Díaz-Urgorri Emparanza, Thom Mayne, Gerardo Berrocal, Borja Herrero (dirección de obra)

Colaboradores Collaborators

Alicia Berenguer, Rocío de Olano, Agustín Sánchez, Cristina Navas, Jaime Astor, Amparo López, Sergio Calvo, Javier Castillo, Esther Vidal, Ana Valero Pavel Getov, Paul Gonzales, Simon Demeuse, Chris Warren (créditos credits) Ana Luengo-Citerea (paisajismo landscaping) Copredije (seguridad y salud security and health)

Consultores Consultants

ACP Ingenieros, S.L. (proyecto y dirección ICT project and ICT direction); Úrculo Ingenieros, S.A (instalaciones mechanical engineering); Libro Informático Técnico, S.L (estructura structure); JAM (restauración del hormigón concrete restoration)

Contratista Contractor

Uicesa, Obras y Construcciones, S.A.

Fotos Photos

Roland Halbe, Ayuntamiento de Madrid