Wooden Made

Site: Vallecas, Madrid
Competition: 2011

The Wooden Made project was conceived as a proposal for the renovation plan of the San Francisco Javier and Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles municipal neighborhoods in the Vallecas district. The deteriorating state of the old buildings prompted the proposal to demolish them, replacing the two neighborhoods with a new development consisting entirely of public housing.

Angulo arquitectura is committed to sustainable and efficient design, where every material and shape contributes to reducing the environmental impact and optimizing energy use.

Wooden Made is a building with pass-through apartments, which allows for maximum utilization of the floor space by reducing the number of vertical communication cores through a distribution corridor open to the exterior. This option provides the apartments with cross ventilation and dual orientation, as well as natural lighting to both the vertical communication cores and the horizontal distributors, characteristics that benefit the building’s bioclimatic factor.

Its facades face each other, creating a suction effect that enhances cross ventilation and allows natural light to enter. The access galleries function as greenhouses: they capture solar radiation for heating in winter and provide shade in summer, preventing overheating.

The structure combines reinforced concrete on the ground floor and cross-laminated timber panels on the upper levels. Timber was chosen because, when properly treated, it offers structural stability, durability, and thermal and acoustic insulation. Studies in Canada indicate that timber buildings can save up to 60% of heat energy.

Although the plot does not allow for an optimal north-south orientation, the building is protected from sunlight by horizontal overhangs and vertical slats. The overhangs block the high summer sun, while the slats—fixed and movable—protect from the low winter sun. This arrangement allows the user to regulate the solar incidence, generating an interplay of light and shadow that lends lightness and dynamism to the complex. Thus, we could say that the building consists of a double façade: while the exterior protects the interior from the sun, the interior defines the background planes on which the longitudinal overhangs and shadows are cast. In an effort to minimize the complexity of the building envelope, a homogenized volume is sought.

To avoid the excessive use of conventional air conditioning in summer, a Canadian Well is incorporated, a ground-to-air heat exchanger that regulates the air temperature through buried tubes. This system improves thermal comfort in winter and reduces the need for air conditioning in summer. Heating is complemented by an Eco-generation plant, while the Canadian Well takes center stage during the warmer months.

The plot has a 3-meter longitudinal slope, so an intermediate access at street level is proposed, avoiding a stepped building that would complicate construction and the use of stairs and elevators. This creates a plinth that elevates the southeast end of the building, providing privacy to the ground-floor apartments.

The volume is divided into two blocks with a vertical communication core as its axis. This arrangement improves the orientation of the apartments and allows the building to open up toward San Diego Avenue, adopting its alignment. The vertical cores are protected between the two volumes, remaining cool in summer and warm in winter.

The housing layout includes two-bedroom units in the northeast block and on the three lower floors of the southwest block. The five upper floors of the southwest block are designated for three-bedroom apartments. Accessible apartments are located on the ground floor, and eight one-bedroom apartments are planned for the attic. In total, 103 apartments are planned, exceeding the minimum requirement of 100.

Regarding the cladding, the cross-laminated timber panels serve both structural and enclosure functions. The sequence of materials on the façade resembles a lightweight ventilated façade with ceramic tile. Thermal insulation is provided on the exterior of the panels, laid out in battens, although there is flexibility to also place it on the interior.

Finally, it should be noted that Wooden Made is based on two key sustainability certifications: Passivhaus and nZEB. The Passivhaus standard seeks to reduce heating and cooling energy requirements by up to 75% compared to conventional construction, through rigorous design and precise execution that ensures that theoretical values are met in reality. A well-insulated envelope, air infiltration control, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery are proposed, balancing economy and efficiency.

The arrangement of the slats allows the user to regulate the incidence of sunlight, generating a play of light and shadow that provides lightness and dynamism to the whole