English · UKThe Valencian studio VIC Projects has reached the final of the Twelfth Porcelanosa Awards in the Design of the Year category because of the original structure it developed using the PORCELANOSA Group collections.
The architects in the studio have designed a home that incorporates some of the vegetation typical of the area.
The VIC Projects architecture studio, headed by Víctor Manuel Mollá Tortosa, has applied vertical architecture to this house in Carlet (Valencia), making it an integral part of the natural landscape. The general structure of this family house thus converses with its surroundings and its interior incorporates several native species of trees, including an olive tree at the entrance, which exemplifies the Mediterranean vegetation typical of the Valencia region and harmonizes with the PORCELANOSA Group‘s collections.
It was this original approach that drew the attention of the Twelfth Porcelanosa Awards jury, who nominated it as a finalist in the Design of the Year category. “Everything revolves around the idea of verticality. The covered swimming pool that defies gravity, the external metal strips that point to the sky and the vertical garden. Love of detail is what has made a home like this possible, where design is quality,” says Tortosa.
A Rubik’s Cube with XLight
To unite exterior and interior as part of the same design, Tortosa decided to create a multi-volume façade with XLight large-format porcelain tiles by Urbatek.
With the combination of XLight Basic Lava Nature and Xlight Basic Bone Nature, a Cubist style façade has been created, bringing beige and grey together in the same structure.
It forms a kind of Rubik’s Cube, where each piece has its own role but respects the overall architectural scheme. The XLight sheets were fixed with Super-Flex adhesive and Butech’s Colorstuk material, which not only made it possible to unify the design but also helped to ensure that the pieces were more secure.
Escape through Par-ker™
Inside the house, white tones and geometric compositions predominate, making the different areas on the ground floor lighter. They are connected to the upper floor using Linkfloor vinyl by L’Antic Colonial and Ascot Teca ceramic parquet by Par-ker™ (Porcelanosa). Inspired by cherry wood, this collection is made with 95% recycled material and 40% less CO2 is produced during its manufacture. Ascot Teca is the flooring used on the first floor, in the suite and on the staircase connecting the two floors. It is also used on the walls of the main bathroom.
Another type of flooring used is Portland Caliza. This porcelain stoneware recreates the colour and texture of cement and balances warmer areas with those that are neutral.
It thus provides a link between the ground floor and the E 4.70 kitchen by Gamadecor, whose white and wooden furniture makes this space lighter, its design being integrated into the living room. The sliding doors that lead to this kitchen are in a distinctive smoky glass and reinforce the idea of an inclusive home without differences or separations.
Mediterranean-style bathrooms
The two floors of this property have several bathrooms with white as the main colour, an effect achieved with the aid of Butech’s white grouting.
STON-KER™ ceramic stone is a key element in the downstairs bathroom with the Bianco Carrara collection by Venis for the walls. This series reproduces the appearance and greyish veins of Carrara marble setting off the black mixer tap by Noken. The shower incorporates the Neptune sprinkler (also by Noken), whose clean, smooth lines combine elegant design and efficient water distribution.
The second floor bathroom has been designed with Marmi China wall tiles by Porcelanosa, a Kole washbasin by Krion and a shower from the Hotels collection by Noken. The series is a return to pure, balanced forms that go well with any type of project.
Photo: Adrián Mora Maroto.
