Structure
During the design of the house, Amancio Williams noted that the stream was a problem that had to be overcome for two reasons: the Arroyo de las Chacras is known to cause flooding during the rainy season, and it also completely divides the farm in half into two parts.
Flattening the farm by means of an embankment would be a lot of work and money invested in preparing the land. This is why he decided to keep the stream in its natural state, and to design the house to fit the terrain rather than the other way around. The solution proposed by Amancio finally solves these two issues.
Amancio designed a rectangular house 27 metres long, 9 metres wide and over 3 metres high. It is separated from the ground by about 3 metres, thanks to the bridge-like structure that supports it, a structure which is the emblematic image of the Casa sobre el Arroyo, and therefore also known as the Casa del Puente (House of the Bridge).
The arch is supported by vertical transverse ribs, also made of reinforced concrete, which work in compression and transmit the loads from the floor slab and the house to the arch.
There are secondary staircases behind a doorway, which are for service staff access and lead directly into the kitchen of the dwelling. These stairs are regular, i.e. they maintain the same tread and riser dimensions throughout, which makes it easier for staff to access the house while carrying a load.
On the one hand, saving the stream by building the house at a height where the water cannot damage it is an intelligent solution, and less costly and risky than trying to divert or channel the stream.
On the other hand, the bridge-like construction allows the house to be isolated on one of the banks, but both can be easily accessed using the house as a communication element.
In the 20th century, reinforced concrete began to become popular in construction, and new architects experimented with its properties to achieve structures never before imagined. Amancio Williams, like many modern architects, decided to use this material to design his bridge house.
The structure supporting the house consists of a parabolic sheet of reinforced concrete in the shape of an arch, articulated at its supports and firmly anchored to the ground by means of a foundation made up of two enormous footings, one on each bank of the stream, which transmit the loads to the ground at an oblique angle.
A longitudinal structural wall rises above the floor slab on the ground floor of the house, with openings for passageways and free areas. In turn, in the perimeter area of the house, detached from the façade, there are a series of piles which, together with the longitudinal wall, support the roof.
The main access to the house is via two staircases supported by the arch of the bridge structure. Both staircases lead to the centre of the floor of the house, but allow access to the house from either side of the stream. The tread of the steps is continuous, which means that the tread is of varying depth to match the curvature of the arch:
The piles and the longitudinal wall free the façade of its structural function, allowing a landscape window to be placed along its entire continuity. This means that the interior is connected to the exterior at all times, but without privacy problems as the house is elevated above ground level, as well as being surrounded by vegetation.
The exterior finish is made entirely of concrete, a material that allows the structure to integrate into the natural environment, but which in turn requires continuous maintenance to avoid stains caused by damp or verdigris.
"It is the first work that resolves a three-dimensional structure" (said by Amancio Williams)
3D MODEL - STRUCTURE
Clic on "navegador del modelo" to navigate through the structure of this house.
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