Skip to content

Audio Version

See more about

More info

Architects: TAAs + Javier García-Germán + Alia García-Germán.

Collaborators: Elena Fuertes, Begoña Leal, Jesús Sanabria, Jaime Yndurain.

Photography: Miguel de Guzmán.

Location: Guadarrama, Spain.

Area: 410 s.q.

Engineering Consultants: Garval Ingeniería SL; Adventia Ingeniería SL; Quantity Surveyor: Lucía Gigante.

Mountain House: The Radiant Room

A collection of radiant rooms explore the connections between the environment, a material conglomerate —concrete, projected cork and wood— and its inhabitants. This conglomerate performs either under the sun’s radiation or under the effects of the wall-and-floor integrated radiant system, granting users comfort. These rooms can be opened during the summer months, enjoying the refreshing summer night breezes.

TAAs.-EL-ESCORIAL4

Material performance

TAAs.-EL-ESCORIAL3TAAs.-EL-ESCORIAL5TAAs.-EL-ESCORIAL2TAAs.-EL-ESCORIAL

A room with a view The commission started with a collection of rooms, which were scattered around the site looking for good views.

section

 

Radiation Radiation is a process of energy transfer by which energy is transmitted through electromagnetic waves, not needing a material medium to transfer heat.

diagram3

Radiant rooms Sun radiation penetrates the room through the window which, through direct radiation and greenhouse effect, heats-up the concrete floor and walls, storing energy. Insulation, through external wood cladding, prevents stored heat from dissipating. Combining window radiation collection with interior thermal storage and outdoor thermal insulation, the thermal performance of the room is enhanced.

axonometric

Concrete wooden-clad rooms Reinforced-Concrete, has a high thermal effusivity (2036 s1/2 W/m2 0C) and therefore has a high thermal storage capacity. On the other hand wood and projected cork have a low thermal effusivity (500 s1/2 W/m2 0C) and therefore are good insulator. The combination of both maximize energy storage, minimizing winter losses.

diagram4

Negotiate between solar radiation and views The project negotiates between the forest views and the sun orientation. According to Edward Mazria, a solar window with “variations to the east or west of south, up to 300, will reduce performance only slightly”.

Summertime Solar rooms, in summertime, cast a pattern of shadows which, in combination with the pine trees, offer comfortable ambient for summer activities.

diagram

Active systems The use of active radiant surfaces seeks to champion same thermodynamic strategies for active and passive systems, looking for a synergy between form, material systems, environmental systems and user performance.

diagram2

pdormitorios

Bedrooms level

pjardin

Garden level

punder

Underground level

Architects: TAAs + Javier García-Germán + Alia García-Germán.

Collaborators: Elena Fuertes, Begoña Leal, Jesús Sanabria, Jaime Yndurain.

Photography: Miguel de Guzmán.

urbanNext (December 14, 2024) Mountain House: The Radiant Room. Retrieved from https://urbannext.net/mountain-housee-radiant-room/.
Mountain House: The Radiant Room.” urbanNext – December 14, 2024, https://urbannext.net/mountain-housee-radiant-room/
urbanNext January 7, 2017 Mountain House: The Radiant Room., viewed December 14, 2024,<https://urbannext.net/mountain-housee-radiant-room/>
urbanNext – Mountain House: The Radiant Room. [Internet]. [Accessed December 14, 2024]. Available from: https://urbannext.net/mountain-housee-radiant-room/
Mountain House: The Radiant Room.” urbanNext – Accessed December 14, 2024. https://urbannext.net/mountain-housee-radiant-room/
Mountain House: The Radiant Room.” urbanNext [Online]. Available: https://urbannext.net/mountain-housee-radiant-room/. [Accessed: December 14, 2024]

urbanNext
urbanNext | expanding architecture to rethink cities and territories

Newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter

Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in excerpt
Formats
Audio&visual
Concept
Data
Essay
Forum
Lecture
Podcast
Project
Talk
Survey
Statement
Selfthink
High Density
Middle Density
Low Density
No Density

talk

essay

project

product

survey

data

all formats