Madrid, 15th July 2014. The international design firm AGi architects, led by architects Joaquin Pérez Goicoechea and Nasser Abulhasan and based in Madrid and Kuwait, has developed a modular single-family house with traditional wood structure. The project is available in the Spanish and key international markets.
The strong commitment to contemporary design, high quality of materials used, customization options, sustainability and fast construction are amongst its main features.
This unique design building has a total floor area of 153.38 sqm. It consists of a master bedroom with private bathroom, two more bedrooms with walk-in closets, one shared bathroom, one guest toilet, separate kitchen, hall and living-dining room. In addition, the optional installation of a staircase on the porch will allow using the roof of nearly 80 sqm as a terrace.
The project is organized through the juxtaposition of three spaces. On one hand a central core in which wet-areas are located, i.e., bathrooms, toilet and kitchen. On the other hand other two areas are set parallel at both sides of the central volume, including the rest of the living spaces: bedrooms and living-dining room.
The AGi architects’ prototype will integrate into the landscape and is specifically designed to be placed in both urban and rural natural environments -ranging from independent plots in residential areas of cities and towns to country houses in remote and isolated places- because of the construction system used, which is very simple and fast, being systematized and ready on stock, and making it an ideal alternative for those who wish to have a sustainable high quality detached house built in a short period of time.
The roof brings together the three volumes to give the building a recognizable unitary image. This also allows the creation of two outdoor spaces, the entrance porch (which can be used as parking lot) and the living rear area, accessible from the kitchen and living room.
Among the optional elements that can be added to the basic design proposed by AGi, clients may choose to incorporate a light metal structure facilitating vegetation to climb and cover the volume, thus allowing architecture to merge with the natural environment.
"We are very excited about this project that means for us to open ourselves to new ways of building, in which we are approaching with humility and a proposal based on quality, unique design and professionalism, to meet a rising demand in the market as it is the construction focused on wood design. We trust that clients find in our model the tailor-made project they are looking for”, said Joaquin Perez-Goicoechea, partner and co-founder of AGi architects.
The price per square meter for this property is € 1,400. The basic option designed by AGi architects is available from € 220,000, while the most comprehensive choice, with the addition of all optional items, costs € 250,000. Similarly, starting from the initial prototype designed for the studio, it is possible to customize and adapt the project to fit each customer, responding to their needs and preferences, through a close collaboration between clients and the architecture firm.
The AGi architects’ model is now on sale in Spain and other markets and has used one of the modular construction systems with wooden structure by Arquima Company.
Sustainable and healthy benefits of a return to natural
Wood is a clean, green, natural and 100% recyclable raw material. Choosing wood is to act for ecology. Wood is as viable alternative or more than concrete and steel materials.
The energy required to produce a cubic meter of structural wood is 50 times less than that required by the steel and a quarter of the concrete. So it is now more important than ever to make the best use of it and minimize the ecological footprint of any building.
In this specific case, being a modular project from a carefully designed factory system, method optimization and quality control of the manufacturing process produces minimal waste. Moreover, the construction system used in the assembly of modules is much faster than any other, and lets leave smaller footprint on the installation location.
From the architectural perspective, this housing also has a number of sustainable advantages, being an efficient construction in which the design team has considered key aspects belonging to the construction process that AGi architects value in all its projects: outstanding thermal insulation, façade openings proper relation, natural cross ventilation, and passive solar protection through the use of eaves and trellises decorated with climbing plants, among other factors.
Finally, several scientific studies link wood with quality of life and well-being, showing that wood contains properties that favor a healthy lifestyle and thus improve the quality of life. Do not forget that this noble material is a good acoustic corrector, excellent thermal insulation, shock absorber and creator of subjective comfort.
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