February 3, 2022 | Updated: February 4, 2022

Residential AC33 in Valencia: a historic building, renovated with Porcelanosa

Studio Erre Arquitectura and the multinational design company worked together on the project, to preserve the building's architectural heritage using sustainable, energy efficiency-boosting materials.

The stately white façade is the finest representation of Valencian Art Deco. In the mid-twentieth century, the artistic trend brought together costumbrist design and architectural rationalism, with geometric forms, natural motifs, vertical windows and rectangular balconies. These features can still be seen in this historic building in Valencia's L'Eixample district, with an architectural renovation from ERRE Arquitectura using collections by PORCELANOSA Group.

A 20th-century architectural gem

The architectural overhaul preserves the original features dating back to 1921 (year of construction) and has improved the overall facilities, creating a new complex: Residential AC33.

Property developer Rimontgó put sustainability and residents' quality of life and wellbeing front and centre of the development. It features neutral tones (white, beige and grey), open-plan rooms, a double orientation and cross-ventilation. "Creating an oasis in the centre of Valencia. This was the initial concept, sowing the seed of what the building would eventually become. We asked ourselves: How can we introduce nature and sustainable living to the city centre? How can we reduce and optimise energy spending? This was the motivation behind our search for innovative solutions we could use to create a family-friendly space with the highest quality of life possible", explains architect M. Ángeles Ros from Erre Arquitectura.

Reducing energy consumption with geothermal energy

This is the city's first historic building to use geothermal energy as its main energy source. The system has reduced energy consumption by up to 80%, and CO2 emissions by up to 90%. "We sought permission to carry out surveys and find out about the subsoil conditions. We installed a 25 kW probe and a second 45 kW probe to meet almost all the building's energy demands. We also incorporated photovoltaic panels in the roof design to add solar energy, as well as aerothermal systems", says Pepe Ribes of property developer Rimontgó.

The interior design of the open-plan rooms is filled with light and soft textures, and features some of Porcelanosa's most sustainable collections. This is true of the Solid Surface Krion® Lux 1100 K-Life, used in the bathrooms and kitchens, as well as the heated swimming pool walls. And also XTONE®, the sintered mineral compact used as flooring throughout the kitchen, with large format Aged Clay XTONE® installed using Butech's fixing agents. Other kitchens features cement-inspired Bottega Caliza floor tiles by Porcelanosa, enhancing the spacious feel of the Gamadecor Emotions model with Noken mixer taps.

To lend more warmth to the main zones and achieve an uninterrupted design, studio Erre Arquitectura went for natural materials from L'Antic Colonial (used as flooring throughout the homes) and Persian White marble, also from the brand. The natural stone has been used to clad the bathroom walls, ushering brightness into every corner, in turn complemented by Next bathroom furnishings by Gamadecor, Noken WaterForest taps (which save water by up to 89%) and Krion® Solid shower trays.

Read the full article in issue 39 of Porcelanosa Lifestyle magazine here.