TR House, Barcelona
In 2016, the architectural practice PMMT completed TR House in Barcelona, Spain. The unique chequerboard screen of glazed ceramic tiles that wraps around the house was designed with the intention of blending in with the surrounding gardens.
The gardens surround an existing 19th-century house that belonged to the parents of the client. This meant that the architects were faced with the challenge of integrating a new house into the landscape without obstructing the views from the existing house.
The steepness of the site required that the volume of the house was split, so that the three-storey building is partially submerged in the descending ground, and so that access could be provided by entrances on different levels.
Vertical chestnut boards clad the majority of the front and rear facades, with glazed openings that are positioned carefully so as to reveal views but maintain the inhabitants’ privacy.
The other facades are wrapped in a semi-solid surface, cascading down from the pergola on the upper floor terrace. This green surface is composed of vitrified ceramic tiles fixed to a stainless steel wire lattice. This innovative tile technique has been patented as Fabrik by the manufacturers Shildan Group. For more information, see Fabrik by Shildan.
The centre of the building contains an open-air patio, lined with glazing to enable natural light to permeate the surrounding rooms. At the rear of the building, the main living areas open onto a secluded area of decking.
Content courtesy of PMMT.
Photography copyright of Pedro Pegenaute.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Social distancing goes high tech
Tech tools to help manage people and space post-pandemic.
Eclectic Edwardian architecture
A style that ranges from mock Tudor to arts and crafts to the 'Wrenaissance'.
Free guide from Secured by Design.
Building Back Better: Circularity
BREEAM strategy for sustainability and the circular economy.
Free tool to improve the construction programming process.
Building services verification
Are buildings doing what they're supposed to be doing?
Cities with quick access to everything by foot or bike.
The pressures and pinch points of global destinations.
The green economic recovery beyond COVID-19
Making the case for a sustainable future.
Building Conservation Certification Scheme expands eligibility
Retrofit professionals now entitled to enter CIOB programme.
Unlimited Potential report looks at gender and racial bias
How, where, when and why stereotypes happen.
Optimising the best features of both energy performance tools.
The project information process
BSRIA guidance updated in BG 78/2021 publication.
ISO standard supports crime prevention through environmental design.