Rural[Urban]

Graduate Architecture Design Studio

Washington University in St. Louis

Instructor: Javier Maroto

Located adjacent to an orchard in Madrid, Spain this project aims to bring together aspects of rural and urban living while providing housing for multiple families. Single family dwellings are organized along a sunken canal.  Residents enter the units at ground level, and descend through their homes to have access to the lower level canal. The sloped roofs serve to direct rainwater runoff into the canal and the canal in turn feeds a subterranean reservoir which supplies irrigation needs for the` nearby orchard. The canal also serves as a source of evaporative cooling in the hot Madrid climate. Excavated earth from construction of the canal would also be used to supplement soil needs of the orchard.