M4 House: A Masterpiece of Residential Design by Equipo Zooco Estudio

Winner of Silver A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2019

The design of M4 House is rooted in two primary elements: the traditional house profile and the surrounding forest. The architecture is meticulously designed and oriented to harmonize with its natural surroundings, offering stunning views and a seamless connection with the outdoors. The process of disintegrating the standard house volume is contingent on the surrounding nature, ensuring each interior space benefits from a unique view and optimal solar orientation.

What sets M4 House apart from other residential designs is its innovative approach to orientation and volume. The house, located at the top of the land, is designed to take full advantage of the impressive forest to the south. The traditional residential volume is broken and disintegrated into a pitched roof oriented in the North-South direction, creating large openings that frame the view. The result is a permeable architecture that opens up a dialogue with its surroundings.

The realization of this design was achieved using limestone to provide solidity and forcefulness in contrast to the pronounced cantilevers. This 430m2 house stands as a testament to the power of innovative design and the use of natural materials. The design tags associated with this project include House, Landscape, Framing views, Articulated volume, Orientation, Openings, Pitched roof, and Dialogue with surroundings.

The main interaction in this project is the dialogue with its natural surroundings. The residential volume is deconstructed into three articulated volumes, two of which fly over the terrain, providing protection and shelter underneath. The diversity and differences between the North-South and East-West facades are noteworthy. The former is permeable and light, open to the surroundings, while the latter is blind, with heavy walls, inspired by the profile of the traditional house.

The project, completed in 2018, is located in Torrelodones in Madrid. The design research involved defining the program, breaking the pure volume to create a pitched roof, and dividing the volume into three different strips to accommodate various uses. This division allowed the volumes to dock depending on solar orientations and to compress or widen in heights the spaces as per their needs. The creative challenge was to create different experiences by connecting the visitor to the natural surroundings with different points of view, while always trying to benefit from optimal solar orientations.

M4 House is a shining example of how innovative design can create a unique living experience. The design's ability to connect with its surroundings, its thoughtful orientation, and its innovative use of volume make it a deserving winner of the Silver A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2019. This award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.