Urban villa near Barcelona
Location: Gava, Catalonia, Spain. GFA: 600 sqm.
Architectural concept
Situated in the leafy residential corridor of Gava, just minutes from the Baix Llobregat coastline and within reach of Barcelona, this villa embodies the particular ambition of a family that wished to live fully outdoors for nine months of the year - and beautifully indoors for the remaining three. Our studio was invited to reimagine a generous 600 sqm residence as a seamless extension of its semi-tropical Mediterranean garden, where the boundary between interior comfort and exterior freedom dissolves at every threshold. The result is a home that does not merely face its landscape but belongs to it - organically, sensually, and with quiet confidence.
Spatial organisation
The plan is organised around the pool terrace as the true social heart of the property. Large-format sliding glazing - floor-to-ceiling and thermally broken in marine-grade aluminium framing - opens the principal living volume entirely to the deck, allowing the kitchen-dining room and the poolside to function as one continuous hospitality space. A tiered ipe hardwood deck steps down from the raised interior platform toward the water, creating a natural choreography of arrival, gathering, and repose. The outdoor lounge, furnished with deep modular sofas in pale linen and framed by a low white-lacquered coffee table, invites the family to settle into the afternoon and stay well into the evening.
Materials and climate
ipe hardwood deck
Our studio selected materials with rigorous attention to the coastal microclimate of the Catalan shoreline, where salt-laden air, summer heat peaks of 33 to 35 degrees Celsius, and intense solar radiation demand finishes that age with grace rather than fatigue. The deck is laid in ipe hardwood deck planks chosen for their exceptional density and natural resistance to moisture and biological degradation - a material that deepens in tone across the seasons and requires no chemical treatment. Stone detailing on the villa facade draws on the Garraf limestone tradition of the region, its warm ochre grain lending texture and thermal mass to the lower envelope. The tiled roof in terracotta, a direct reference to Catalan building culture, completes a palette that is rooted in place.
Bioclimatic strategy
Passive cooling is the governing logic of the design. The principal glazed facade is oriented to capture the prevailing south-westerly sea breeze, while deep timber overhangs and external persianas venetian shading on the upper windows intercept the high summer sun between June and September without sacrificing winter solar gain. Cross-ventilation is achieved through a studied arrangement of operable sashes on opposing elevations, drawing cool air through the living volume during the critical afternoon hours. Thermal mass embedded in the limestone cladding and the concrete pool surround absorbs daytime heat and releases it gently through the cooler nights - a strategy entirely consistent with the Mediterranean Csa climate and the 5 to 10 degree winters that follow the long dry summer.
Energy and sustainability
CTE DB-HE energy standard
The project meets and exceeds the requirements of the Spanish CTE DB-HE energy standard, with a high-performance insulated envelope, heat-recovery ventilation, and a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic array clearly visible in the project imagery. The PV installation feeds a heat pump system responsible for both space conditioning and domestic hot water, dramatically reducing grid dependence across the long outdoor season. A rainwater harvesting system serves landscape irrigation, reducing municipal water consumption at a site where summer drought is a consistent seasonal reality. Together, these measures position the villa as a responsible piece of infrastructure, not merely a beautiful one.
Landscape
The garden is composed with the instinct of a botanist and the eye of a designer. Semi-tropical Mediterranean planting - Canary Island palms, mature fan palms, bougainvillea, jasmine, and dense citrus borders - frames the pool terrace with layers of scent, colour, and shade. A woven rattan hanging pod nestled beneath the palm canopy offers a private retreat within the larger garden, a detail that speaks to the family's wish for moments of solitude alongside moments of togetherness. The pool itself, clad in pale blue mosaic and furnished with a swan inflatable that the children have claimed as their own, is sized for genuine swimming and generous play - not merely for visual effect. The outdoor season here runs from March through November, a nine-month calendar that justified every decision to extend, open, and connect.
Luxury, in the end, is expressed not in excess but in proportion - and in the confidence to let silence do the work.
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