Botijo House / ALE Estudio

Architects: ALE Estudio
Area: 365 m² (3929 ft²)
Year: 2024
Photography: Juan Aragonés
Manufacturers: Ceràmica Ferres, Cinca, Cortizo, Cubro
Lead Architect: Alegría Zorrila
Graphic Development And Work: María González
Communication And Layout: María Ramos
Builder: Dasepa Construciones
Construction: C. Jofemar S.L.
Surveyor: Alarifes Técnicos
Photography: Juan Aragonés
Program: Collective housing building
City: Madrid
Country: Spain

Botijo House, a residential building designed by ALE Estudio in Madrid, Spain, integrates industrial and residential elements, creating a cohesive urban landscape. Completed in 2024, the design employs brick, exposed concrete, and galvanized steel to reflect the surrounding early 20th-century architecture. A striking ceramic lattice conceals the stairwell, providing both aesthetic appeal and functional sun protection. The ground floor fosters communal interaction, while the T-shaped layout inside offers flexibility. Features like large south-facing windows, high ceilings, and advanced thermal systems ensure comfort and energy efficiency.

The Botijo House is located on a street where low houses are mixed with small industrial buildings from the early 20th century. It is a neighborhood within a neighborhood, characterized by a smaller scale.

Red brick predominates, coloring the street and wrapping both low houses and industrial warehouses. This creates a homogeneous landscape despite varied uses.

The project incorporates elements typical of the environment, such as brick, exposed concrete, and galvanized steel. These materials, although used less frequently, appear in the area’s buildings. The most emblematic piece of the complex is a ceramic latticework hiding the stairwell. This lattice appears as a large seam of brickwork intertwined with the neighboring building.

The access floor is designated for communal use, creating an intermediate space for social interaction. The staircase extends this communal aspect, with the lattice providing sun protection and casting dynamic shadows on the interior enameled walls.

Bathrooms are located behind the staircase in a compact band, freeing up space in the dwellings. The layout follows a T-shape scheme, organizing three flexible spaces of varying dimensions.

The dwellings feature concrete roofs with a height of 3.20 m (10.50 ft), enhancing the sense of spaciousness and facilitating airflow for cross ventilation.

Large windows occupy the entire frontage of each house, capturing southern light and heating the main room. Roll-up awnings reduce light intensity. Each house also includes a terrace. Interior finishes of linoleum and wood contrast with the exterior’s concrete, brick, and galvanized steel, adding warmth to the rooms.

The complex’s high thermal inertia, achieved through more than 10 cm (3,3 ft) of insulation and thermally resistant carpentry, along with natural cross ventilation from north to south, ensures efficient air renewal. Light access in all rooms, adjustable solar protection, and a radiant-cooling floor with aerothermal energy production guarantee low energy consumption and reduced demand.