Tag: architects Calpe

Alicante architectural studio: flooring types
Choosing the materials to renovate a house is key for it to meet our aesthetic and functional needs. Therefore, this week we will deal with the best materials that can be chosen in relation to floors. Whether it is a house to be built or one to be renovated, there are different types of floors to consider.

If it is a house is old, it is logical that the existing pavement has become obsolete both from the aesthetic point of view and the functional point of view. Nowadays, there are much more resistant flooring materials with much better properties and finishes than those existing a few years ago, even in the case of materials that were already made a long time ago, such as the stoneware…

Choosing flooring types

It is very normal that while living in one’s own chalet or when buying a second-hand one, there is a need to carry out interior refurbishment works that include changing finishing materials and facilities.

To make a suitable choice we must start off from the style of the chalet, whether rustic, Mediterranean or modern. It is also necessary to distinguish between wet areas: bathrooms, kitchen, etc., and dry areas: bedrooms, living room, etc. And, of course, differentiating between the interior of the house or outside: the pool terrace area, the barbecue area, etc.

The different flooring types available in the market can be classified as follows:
- - Ceramic flooring:
type of clay or stoneware depending on the cooking degree of the piece and the used material. These are the most commonly used floors in construction, especially stoneware, mainly because its value for money.
- - Porcelain flooring:
used in the highest quality homes and ideal for areas where the most rigorous technical specifications of hardness, high resistance, low porosity and minimum water absorption are required. Also, this type of floor has excellent aesthetic qualities. There are different manufacturing and finishing processes, allowing pieces up to 3 m long. The porcelain floor is more expensive due to both the material itself and the complexity of its placement.
- - Vinyl flooring:
It is easy to clean and resistant tot humidity and water. It is also comfortable to replace and place on other existing pavements, if we want to do little work. It is a thermal insulator and its Improper use can affect you and look less natural than the floors it imitates.
- - Smooth Concrete or Micro Concrete Flooring:
It is a very modern and easy maintenance option in addition to being very resistant on which drawings, shapes and colors can be designed at will. A proper work not only provides good designs and finishes, but also greater resistance avoiding easy wear and tear.
- - Natural stone flooring:
Such as marble, travertines, slate, quartzite, granite, sandstone, limestone, etc. There is a great variety of qualities and characteristics, such as strength, hardness, porosity, texture, softness, color, etc. Their beauty is practically inimitable beauty whereas its price and placement can be among the highest.
- - Terrazzo Flooring:
It is a conglomerate hardened with pieces of marble crushed and colored with pigments of varied nature, subjected to a vibration and prestressing process for great compactness and resistance to wear. Despite being very inexpensive, they are not usually used nowadays because they are considered outdated.
- - Wooden pavements:
There are two types: parquet or floating platform which are very demanded today. Despite their warmth, their maintenance is very demanding because they scratch very easily and are susceptible to deformation and deterioration by moisture. We discourage its choice for high-traffic areas.

Flooring your chalet

Professional advice is required according to the needs of each chalet. Some of the mentioned flooring types require a great professionalism for their placement, using techniques and special glues for their fixation. Therefore, it is essential that any reform be done by qualified professionals who can advise the client.

Arquifach Alicante Architects takes charge of the renovation of your chalet on the Costa Blanca

Contact Arquifach, Alicante architectural studio without commitment. We study the feasibility of your project and offer advice on the renovation of new detached homes or tourist apartment buildings on the Costa Blanca supported by a specialized team. Arquifach deals with all the process and planning of the reform adapting it to the needs of the client and complying with the municipal regulations.
11 October, 2018
Architecture Alicante Calpe: The Red Wall

Discovering architectural jewels in Calpe

We cannot hide our passion for the Costa Blanca because it is an ideal place to live or where to have a second home as our little paradise. All along the Costa Blanca and Alicante, small towns bathed by the Mediterranean Sea can be found. One of them is Calpe, a municipality known for its beaches and the Ifach Rock which is a huge stone with its own natural habitat. Once again, we will tour some of the most signature architectural treasures, monuments and buildings in Alicante within the Arquifach blog. Un

Calpe’s Architecture: The Red Wall

Calpe’s inhabitants have always been aware of the beauty of many of its corners, but the Red Wall has begun to catch experts’ and visitors’ eyes. Furthermore, it has lately become the setting chosen for advertising campaigns and influencers’ photos. In fact, more than 8,000 posts on Instagram with the hashtag #murallaroja and #lamurallaroja confirm it.

This housing complex has aroused so much interest that its owners have had to hang posters warning that it is illegal to sneak into the complex otherwise the relevant authorities are called.

The History of The Red Wall

It is a complex designed by architect Ricardo Bofill Levi and built between 1963 and 1973. Its architecture mainly consists of geometric patterns based on a Greek cross. There is also a peculiar series of patios communicated with each other through which the houses are accessed. There are separate solariums with stunning views and also a cross-shaped pool. Another of its peculiarities is its colors, a combination of reds and blues aiming at highlighting some points of this stairs and towers labyrinth.

The Red Wall’s Architectural Style, Calpe’s Architecture

The Red Wall’s architectural style is a fusion between the Mediterranean and Arabic styles. Some experts call this work Ricardo Bofill’s Casbah, alluding to the urban Arab fortifications.

The city council of Calpe has already begun the procedures to turn this peculiar construction into an Asset of Cultural Interest. If approved, a regime of guided visits will be established so that the people can enjoy this utopian paradise.

Arquifach architectural studio, helps you design your home in Alicante, Calpe.

This studio has more than 40 years of experience in the construction, architecture and urban planning sectors. The professional team of Arquifach -architectural studio in Costa Blanca- is led by architect D. Manuel Cabrera. Arquifach provides a 360 service, specialized in different areas of the architectural field, such as: design, construction, planning, pathology reports, valuations and general advice.

Arquifach, architectural studio in Alicante, accompanies works together its clients throughout the construction process. From the beginning to the end. The mission of our Architecture Studio is to make the project an easy process and totally satisfy its clients. customer satisfaction. Arquifach has a network of suppliers and partners to manage all projects professionally and efficiently.

Contact Arquifach, Alicante architectural studio without commitment. Our specialized team study the feasibility of your project and offer advice on the construction of new detached homes or tourist apartment buildings on the Costa Blanca.

* Article notes:
Main photography: Deisgnmilk (https://www.flickr.com/photos/designmilk/)
Photograph of the text: Martin Solveig – Do It Right ft. Tkay Maidza

5 October, 2018
Architectural Studio in Alicante: When is it better to carry out a reform?

It is very normal that during the life of a chalet or when buying a second-hand chalet, there is a need to carry out interior renovation works that include the change of finishing materials and facilities. There are also cases in which it is necessary to carry out extension works because the construction is not completely adapted to our needs. When is it better to carry out a reform?

Reasons for a renovation

There are many reasons and they are usually related to changes in the needs of its inhabitants. It may be that the family has grown, it may be that you want to install an elevator since with the passage of time its inhabitants are aging. It is normal that the reason can be merely aesthetic because, for example, the owner does not like the decoration, tiles and pavements any longer.

When is it better to carry out a reform? What is the ideal season to carry out a renovation?

To make an ideal choice of which season is better to do renovations in a house, we must start with the type of work we are going to do.

Extension work in single-family homes or villas in Costa Blanca

In this case, two types of extensions should be distinguished. If the work is a lateral extension, that is to say on one side of the currently existing construction or it is an extension from above, that is, extending a floor or extending the current upper floor.

In both cases, the works must be carried out in the dry season, preventing the rain from damaging the new construction and also the existing one.

In the case of a lateral extension, the interior of the current home would not be affected by the work, except for a little noise and dust disturbance; but it can be a big problem to open the foundations of the new extension next to the current house.

If it rains during the process in which the foundation is being open, it is very possible that later on we will have problems of fissures or cracks due to settlement. This situation can occur regardless of whether we have left a constructive joint between the two parts of the construction, or on the contrary we have adopted a system of tying the two constructions, in foundation and structure, so that in theory they were one.

If the land where the house is located is clayey, like most of the buildings in the area of Alicante, and it rains, the support of the new foundation will be softer than the old one, which will lead to differential settlements between the two parts of the construction.

In the case of extending the upper part, it is also necessary to do it during the dry season, because this type of extension requires lifting the roof or the upper terrace to make the extension, and also to leave a gap for the staircase that communicates the two floors.

It will not be a problem of settlement, like the previous one, but an intense rain such as those that fall down in Costa Blanca will saturate all partitions and furniture if the necessary measures are not taken.

Interior renovations of single-family homes or chalets in Costa Blanca

If the intended works are interior renovations, such as change of pavement, painting, change of kitchen furniture or change of the bathrooms, the time of the year chosen to do this type of work is unimportant.

Perhaps, due to the strong temperatures of the summer period, it would be convenient to avoid doing works at that time. But, for the rest of the year, it is not very important when the work is done.

However, be it an extension work or an internal renovation, it must be borne in mind that most of the town halls have very specific ordinances that limit the works that can be done in summer, the type of machinery that cannot be used due to the noise, discomfort and dust problems that can be caused to neighbors.

Arquifach, architectural studio in Alicante, is takes charge of the renovation of your villa in Costa Blanca.

Contact Arquifach, Alicante architectural studio, without commitment. We study the feasibility of your project and provide advice on the renovation of new single-family homes or tourist apartment buildings. We are supported by a specialized team in Costa Blanca. Arquifach takes charge of the whole project: its design, construction, planning, pathology reports, assessments and advise in general.

6 September, 2018
Arquifach, Architectural Studio in Costa Blanca: Modern Villas
Today, modern architecture is one of the most demanded architectural styles for the construction of chalets, villas or single-family homes in Costa Blanca. To know a little more about the beginning of this style, it is necessary to name one of its founders: Le Corbusier. He was a French architect known as the main protagonist of the international architectural renovation of the twentieth century. He stated that the house should be at the service of life: “The house is a living machine, bathrooms, sun, hot and cold water, adjustable temperature, conservation of food, hygiene, beauty through convenient proportions.”

Le Corbusier established five basic principles that are still taken into account today and became the basis of architectural rationalism:
- Use of supporting elements
- Roof gardens
- Free conformation of plants
- Continuous windows
- Free facade formation
Each and every one of these points within the geometric order to achieve what he called “pure volumes.” His purpose was to merge nature with technological development. This goal is and remains one of the basic principles of Arquifach, architectural studio, moving it to a unique environment such as Costa Blanca.

Villa La Roche: One of the first houses with a modern architectural style

This house was built in Paris during the second decade of the XX century at the request of Le Corbusier.

Its design supposes a rupture of the classic hierarchy based on the movement. The Villa was planned taking into account the vegetation that surrounded the environment and all the surrounding trees were kept. Its composition is based on two rectangular volumes that together form a 90º angle. One of the blocks is characterized by a broad curved front.

Its totally white facade contrasts with the variety of intense colors of its interior, harmonizing with the asymmetrical spaces and the volumes that are kept inside where we find double heights, interior balconies and ramps that divide the space without breaking the balance of the Villa.

Architectural principles of Arquifach for the construction of modern villas

Adaptation to the landscape: it consists of respecting the environment where the construction is located and integrating into the land the most efficient way possible. Houses must adapt to the land and be integrated into its slopes and its peculiarities.

White exteriors: reflecting light and reducing heat inside buildings. Special coatings that isolate the high temperatures are also necessary.

Glass walls: one of the main characteristics of the Mediterranean area is light and that clarity should be transferred to the design of the spaces by transforming the walls into glass through continuous windows.

Geometric volumes: located on the outside and inside to divide and adapt the spaces to the needs of the client.

The Modern Villas of Arquifach: architectural studio in Costa Blanca

CASA NADIA

A modern and futuristic 330 m2 house with four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a toilet, plus a large living room with open kitchen, a large terrace with porch and infinity pool.

VILLA COMPLETA IN CALPE

A Modern architecture 370m2 house with a gym and a garage in its basement, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a toilet. BBQ and large terrace with pool.

VILLA LA CANUTA

A single-family house and pool of a total of 385.80m2 built.

Your chalet o single-family home with a pool in Costa Blanca

Contact Arquifach, Alicante architectural studio in Costa Blanca. We are specialists in the construction of chalets and single-family homes with a modern architecture. We study the feasibility of your project and offer advice on the construction of new single-family homes or tourist apartment buildings. We are supported by a specialized team in Costa Blanca. Arquifach deals with finding the plot suitable for each client’s needs, complying with the municipal regulations. We take charge of the whole project: its design, construction, planning, pathology reports, assessments and advise in general.

*Notes:
Photos by: Steve Cadman (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecadman/ Villa la Roche: photo of the interior and windows)/ Fred Romero
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/129231073@N06/ Villa la Roche: photo of curved facade and photo of the interior)
References: article (https://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/cl/02-195627/clasicos-de-arquitectura-villa-roche-le-corbusier)
31 July, 2018
Alicante Architectural Studio: construction of a pool in chalets or single-family homes with an own plot.

This week in Arquifach’s blog (Alicante Architectural Studio), will be talk about an issue on which we receive many queries from clients: how to propose the private pools of chalets or single-family homes with a plot of their own.

Evolution of pools in single-family homes in Costa Blanca

The quality, the type of construction, the architecture design and the needs program has been changing over the last 50 years. The tourist upturn on the Costa Blanca, and in Spain in general, began in the mid-60s when French or Northern Europe tourists began to discover a Spanish coast without constructions, with a very benign weather, a quiet country, and very cheap prices compared to its purchasing power.

Normally, villas were built as single-family homes of around 90/100m2 with an unfinished garden, interior plots of between 500m2 and 1000m2 and, of course, without a pool. Instead, the beach was the reason for the tourists to come to the coast. Most of the houses at that time have no pool or were built later.

From the 80’s, when the owner of the construction of a single-family home included the pool within its initial project. The system of construction of the pools was initially based on concrete walls, formwork, walls with filled concrete block or solid brick. In all cases, pools should have an interior waterproofing and a ceramic tile finish.

Little by little, the projected gunning or concreting system was imposed. It is made on the basis of projecting the concrete on the walls and the bottom of the pool, prior placement of the reinforcement and part of the installation to be embedded, such as sinks, impellers, spotlights, etc.

How are pools currently built?

Currently, it can be said that 100% of the pools are made through this system. Initially, a dry method based on a machine installed “in situ” which is primed by the operators with cement, sand and little water that is added during the gunning process when projected with compressed air. In some cases, other secondary components such as setting accelerators are usually added.

This mixture is projected little by little, at the speed that two operators add the materials and another one projects the concrete on the walls and bottom of the pool. This system was tedious and slow, and it took up labor for a couple of days.

This method produces a lot of dust, since the mixture is almost dry and, as it was already said, is very slow.

In the other system, the wet method, the three ingredients: cement, sand and water are mixed at the same time and the mixture is projected. The more fluid the mixture, the greater its efficiency, and a normal pool of 4m x 8m can be completed in a morning.

Can a pool be built on all soils?

The law of the Soil in Spain limits the constructions of swimming pools in some cases like those built in rustic soil. According to its definition, it is a soil categorized as common or protected. However, the regulations governing construction on rural land correspond to municipalities and autonomies. As we have already anticipated, there are restrictions, but it should not be forbidden and we must go to the Town Hall to clarify doubts. In other articles, we have already seen the importance of the urban report in the purchase of a plot.

Arquifach, Alicante Architectural Studio, helps you to get your own chalet o single-family home with a pool in Costa Blanca

Contact Arquifach, Alicante architectural Studio, without obligation. We study the feasibility of your project and offer advice on the construction of new single-family homes or tourist- apartment buildings. It has the support of a specialized team in Costa Blanca. Arquifach is in charge of finding the plot adapted to the needs of each client, complying with municipal regulations. We take over the entire project: its design, construction, planning, pathology reports, assessments and advice in general.

13 July, 2018
Alicante Arquitects: Factors to build a healthy home in Costa Blanca
At Arquifach, Alicante Arquitects, we are aware of the impact the environment has on the health and well-being of people. We are what we breathe and what we live. Therefore, part of the mission of Arquifach, Alicante Arquitects, is to design and build houses that contribute and even enhance the life and health of their inhabitants.

There are many factors that affect the suitability of the construction of a villa or chalet. We want to highlight the following ones:

Where to build a healthy home?

As we have mentioned before, the choice of the plot to build is an important decision. Before doing so, several aspects that can affect our health must be taken into account. Among them is radiation. It can be artificial, generated by high-voltage lines or antennas; or environmental, generated by environmental toxicants lodged in the soil, air or water. Controlling these aspects through a previous study will facilitate the subsequent work of design and construction of a house. Arquifach, Alicante Arquitects, helps you choose the ideal land for the construction of your healthy home.

Protection, a key aspect in healthy homes

It is crucial including the creation of barriers that protect against possible external aggressions in the planning of the building.
1. Noise control: our home should be a haven of peace to relax and get quiet. For this reason, it is necessary to take measures to make the interior noise as low as possible. Ideally, all outdoor noise should be below 35db.
2. Security: Fire protocols and a possible private security system should be considered.
3. Controlled humidity: the planning should consider the sources of humidity close to the ground and control condensation points.
4. Temperature control: it must be considered within the comfort standards and not be affected by external temperature contrasts. Measures can be taken such as establishing window efficiency, isolating doors, using materials that protect against extreme temperatures, and installing efficient cooling systems.
Enhancement of the exterior and the interior: these are the aspects to be taken into account:
1. Air quality: materials should be selected to ensure that their chemical emissions are as low as possible.
2. Water quality: water must be fit for consumption as established by regulations. A proper purification system is essential.
3. Ventilation: it is imperative that the air is renewed and the ventilation rate is met or even exceeded. Therefore, air recirculation outlets should be located away from possible contamination sources.
4. Light as a protagonist: one of the main characteristics of the Mediterranean area is light, and that clarity should be considered in the design of spaces. Whether artificial, natural or combined, light must be sufficient to perform tasks without getting dazzled.
5. Views: The Costa Blanca offers incredible landscapes. Both the choice of the plot and the design of the house must take advantage of them.
Outdoor spaces are part of a healthy home

Costa Blanca invites you to have outdoor spaces with a multitude of possibilities. They can be sites that serve as a union with nature and the environment, or perhaps family and leisure areas to carry out different activities. Whatever it is, it is vital to know and plan how the outdoor space of the home we will be since there is where we will also spend a lot of the time. The accesses to the interior must be organized as well as facilitating the circulation. The weather will greatly mark the creation process. The orientation of light must be taken into account in order to make the most of natural light.

How to design and build a healthy home by Arquifach:
1. Analyze the land thoroughly: its orography, climate and resources.
2. Decide the factors to enhance on the land, such as the views to the environment or natural light.
3. Determine the aspects that can affect health and take the most effective measures to counteract them. For example, streams of groundwater or possible noise or environmental pollution.
4. Take into account the current and future needs of its inhabitants.
Arquifach, Alicante Arquitects, designs and builds your chalet or single-family healthy home in Costa Blanca

Contact Arquifach, Alicante architectural studio, without obligation. We study the feasibility of your project and offer advice on the construction of new single-family homes or tourist- apartment buildings. It has the support of a specialized team in Costa Blanca. Arquifach is in charge of finding the plot adapted to the needs of each client, complying with municipal regulations. We take over the entire project: its design, construction, planning, pathology reports, assessments and advice in general.
13 July, 2018