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Combining bioclimatic design, passive strategies and a carefully selected material palette, Ca l’Àgata transforms a 1942 house into a contemporary home in Barcelona. The renovation was designed by Elisabetta Quarta Colosso Atelier, Bio-integrated Contemporary Architecture.
Materials, energy and comfort are considered together within the constraints of the existing building, improving thermal and acoustic comfort, energy performance and the relationship between the house and its garden.
The project begins by preserving and adapting the existing structure rather than replacing it. Within this framework, passive and bioclimatic strategies respond to Barcelona’s seasonal conditions, while the building envelope is upgraded to improve performance.
To improve thermal and acoustic performance, expanded cork and insulation panels are incorporated into the building envelope, while construction quality and airtightness were verified through a blower door test.The result is a home with reported energy consumption of 7.57 kWh/m² per year, combining the renovation of an existing building with demanding contemporary standards for energy efficiency and comfort.
Explore the materials behind the renovation and their technical data.
Rather than relying on a single solution, Ca l’Àgata assigns different materials to different roles: cork for insulation and facade expression, mineral and earth-based finishes for interior surfaces, timber for windows and joinery, and stone and clay where durability and tactile qualities matter.
Exposed expanded cork provides both thermal protection and a distinctive facade finish, while gypsum fiber boards, silicate paints and lime- and clay-based coatings create a layered material strategy inside.
These are complemented by Cenia natural stone, handmade clay tiles and chestnut exterior carpentry, alongside oak, linden and cedar used elsewhere in the project.
Ca l’Àgata uses material specification as part of a broader approach to comfort. Thermal performance, acoustics, moisture management, natural light, vegetation and the relationship between indoors and outdoors are considered together rather than as isolated technical requirements.
The house and garden work as a connected environment, bringing vegetation into everyday life while passive strategies reduce dependence on active systems.
Use this material strategy as a starting point for your own project.
Explore it through Kasper to find and compare alternatives for your own design.
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