Dekton cladding for award-winning passive house

The small village of Arra, in Sanxenxo, Pontevedra, has less than 200 inhabitants. Among them is a family living in a prize-winning house called ‘Vivienda Unifamiliar en Montalvo’. This space has been awarded the ‘Gran de Area’ prize by the Colexio Oficial de Arquitectos de Galicia for its architectural contribution in 2023. “The prize was awarded for the excellence of the house, which includes the design of the spaces, materials and techniques used, a contemporary design proposal that is also an exercise in bio-construction and energy efficiency. The result is an efficient, serene and aesthetically pleasing home that blends in seamlessly with its surroundings,” explains Tectónica magazine.

Designed by Rodríguez + Pintos Arquitectos SLP, the building stands out not only for its serene and avant-garde aesthetics, but also for its near-zero energy consumption, achieved through interventions such as those carried out on the office walls. These walls act as passive thermal regulators, providing insulation in winter and cooling in summer through a flow of pre-cooled indoor air facilitated by an earth-to-air heat exchanger, passively driven by a solar chimney discreetly integrated into the roof.

In this environmentally friendly space, the architects used Dekton, an ultra-compact, cradle-to-grave carbon neutral surface, to clad the ventilated façade. Specifically, they used a concealed fixing system with structural adhesive on aluminium profiles.

“We used the material as an element that creates a dialogue with the zinc metal façade in terms of typology, thermal behaviour, hardness and texture,” explain the experts. “The aim was also to accentuate the access areas and focus on the reception area, thanks to an external element that invites a ceremonial tour and initially hides the view of the façade”.

In this case, Dekton Aeris was chosen for its light tones with realistic cream details inspired by white limestone. In addition to its aesthetic qualities, the experts preferred it for its technological properties: “The industrialisation associated with this cladding has brought safety and speed of execution. Even without empirical verification, everything suggests that it is a material with optimal behaviour and ageing,” they say of Dekton, which comes with a 25-year warranty.

However, what ultimately convinced Rodríguez + Pintos Arquitectos to choose Dekton, a material they had never used before, was the service provided by Cosentino’s staff. “After analysing the characteristics of the material, the decision was, frankly, influenced by the willingness and professionalism of the people who advised us,” they admit.

And they go on to say: “The process of selecting the material was facilitated by the number of samples shown to us, both in the architectural studio and during our visit to their premises, where we were accompanied by project developers. In addition, the Cosentino sales representative for the area was always available to follow the project from order to installation on site, answering all our questions about the manufacturing process and delivery to the installation company”.