Albert and Ariadna have finally found the house of their dreams: a farmhouse to rehabilitate with their own hands to achieve the most efficient and healthy home possible.
Mas Auleda was a 17th-century farmhouse that underwent multiple interventions but still retains its Catalan vernacular essence. To transform a house with these characteristics into new energy and health needs, it was decided to take advantage of the resources of the environment such as orientation, sun, wind, and vegetation, redistribute the interior layout, reduce the habitable volume, and insulate the entire house.
The house is configured in two adjacent rectangular volumes, in one of them the Catalan vaulted floors have been preserved and in the other spaces with high ceilings and large windows have been incorporated to counteract and provide spaciousness. The south-facing windows help capture solar radiation in winter and are protected in summer with Alicante blinds to avoid overheating from the sun.
Thanks to the different interventions to improve energy efficiency, energy consumption has been reduced by 85% and CO2 emissions. For this reason, the house is only heated with a thermal inertia stove capable of heating the house with a single wood-burning per day. Ceiling fans have also been installed in the areas with more glazing for cooling.
Natural and local materials have been used, such as Montseny chestnut wood for beams, roofs, and new floors, solid chestnut for parquet flooring, handmade ceramic tiles from Llambilles, and on-site lime plaster made with lime and sand from the area. Natural materials help maintain a good indoor temperature and humidity environment and also provide a warm and pleasant atmosphere. Text description by the architects.
