The perfect curve on a façade in Pontevedra

In Pontevedra, the OMMA Arquitectura studio, led by architect Miguel Monteagudo Pazo, has designed a building that stands out for its understated elegance and impeccable technical resolution. Located between two streets at different levels —Mariscal Pardo de Cela and Avenida Eduardo Pondal—, the project turns a topographical complexity into a design opportunity.

The difference in height between the two streets is resolved through a façade system that unifies the building's visual ensemble. From the upper street, access is provided to the entrance hall and the commercial space, while the lower avenue opens to the garage entrance, distributed over three floors. The 14 residences, along with 16 storage rooms, 23 parking spaces, and a commercial space, are organised around this structure, which takes advantage of the natural slope of the land to create movement and depth.

The key to the project lies in the ventilated façade clad with Dekton, Cosentino's ultracompact surface. Monteagudo chose two shades —Dekton Sirius and Dekton Sasea— to create a visual interplay between planes and volumes. The more recessed façade, in a dark colour, unifies the parking area and the entrance hall, while the outer plane, clad in Dekton Sasea, adopts a lighter, warmer tone that defines the terraces. Both surfaces are combined with sliding lattices from slab to slab, adding dynamism and protecting against the setting sun, one of the building's major orientation challenges.

“The choice of Dekton was decisive,” explains Monteagudo. “Its concealed fixing system and minimal joints allowed us to achieve a continuous façade, where the focus was not on the joints but on the planes we designed for the project,” he explains. The architect also highlights the ease of cutting and assembling the material, as well as the flexibility of the system, which enabled the design of a multi-layered façade to conceal the movement of the sliding lattices. Specifically, in this ventilated façade, the panels were fixed using a chemical adhesive system with a support clip at the bottom of the pieces, allowing for large-format cuts that adapt to the building's geometry and the returns of glazed areas.

Dekton also offers excellent mechanical properties, high resistance to UV rays, freeze-thaw cycles, abrasion, and stains, and is a non-combustible material, essential qualities for a building exposed to Galicia's humid climate. Added to this is the 25-year warranty that Cosentino offers for façade applications and its commitment to sustainability, endorsed by the Carbon Neutral certification. A combination that makes Dekton a reliable, durable, and environmentally friendly solution.

Thus, the decision to work with Dekton was not only aesthetic but also technical. OMMA sought a material capable of withstanding the test of time and maintaining the building's appearance without degradation. The chosen texture and colours provide elegance and coherence both up close and from a distance, allowing the omission of other materials such as natural stone or metal cladding. “Stone did not offer us the possibility of creating the curve with continuity or such precise cuts; and cladding, although lightweight, had much less durability and a less robust presence,” explains Monteagudo.

In an increasingly demanding urban context, the building demonstrates how technology and architecture can converge without losing sobriety. Dekton Sirius brings depth and solidity, while Dekton Sasea introduces softer nuances that balance the composition. The façade thus becomes a living skin, capable of adapting to light, climate, and daily use without compromising the formal cleanliness of the ensemble.

For Monteagudo, the result is an example of how contemporary materials can transform the way residential buildings are perceived. “It was the material that best adapted to the project idea, without the final image being constrained by technical limitations,” he notes.

In an environment where residential architecture tends to repeat itself, OMMA Arquitectura's work in Pontevedra stands out for its precision and commitment to durability. And in this equation, Cosentino and Dekton establish themselves as natural allies of contemporary design.