How to build a corner design house taking advantage of the 2 available facades and the solar path

Do you want to have the more green exterior area for your house? Do you want to have 2 facades of access to your house? Do you want to have more surface for windows and natural light? Well, go live in the corner design house! As simple as my friend … Because even though a piece of land in a corner has its restrictions (what land does not have them?) Its advantages are many more and it’s worth knowing them.

For the same reason, they tend to be more expensive terrains, especially because of their comparative advantages with respect to land that is inside the block, surrounded by 3 medians and with only 1 possibility of access.

Some of the great advantages of building a corner design house are:

• You have a larger outdoor garden area and an “L” shape.
• You have 2 facades for your house.
• You will have the possibility of having access to the house through 2 streets.
• You have more surface to generate windows and to enter natural light to the house.
• You can clearly separate the main access from a secondary one.
• You have a land and a house with greater economic value for all these advantages.

There is the idea, for example, that building a house between 3 party walls is “very difficult” (because we have many restrictions) and that building a house on a corner plot would be “easier”. But these are just preconceived ideas, things that are said and not entirely true.

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There are no difficult or easy terrains, let’s start there. Each land has advantages and restrictions and it is worth knowing them to evaluate what we are going to do.

Today I invite you to know and learn about what it means to build a corner design house. I invite you to start with the restrictions, let’s see them as opportunities and then we will analyze good designs of a corner design house.

Restrictions to build a corner design house

The first restrictions you must know are the “limits” in which you can build your house. This information is obtained in the corresponding Works Department of the Municipality. There you can obtain all the information that regulates your property and the construction of your house.

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As a first step, you can also visit the neighborhood where your land is and observe how the other houses are built, how far away there is from the street front and the limits of the neighboring properties.

Let’s see what this is about the WITHDRAWALS from an example:

Ground corner design house

The dotted line in white is the part of the land where it can be built. If you look already observing the other houses you can deduce what are the limits or removal of the land.

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Observation and common sense will already give you a lot of information. Never forget to use common sense …

retreats from a corner design house

In this plan, you can see in detail the regulation of this land in terms of its withdrawals.

• A “medianeras retreat” of 2m. The withdrawal from the 2 neighboring properties is the same.
• A “frontal retreat” of 15m. Retreat to the main street.
• A “lateral retreat” of 5m. Retreat to the “secondary” street.

The total area of the land is 605.3m2 but the surface where the house can be built is 200m2. If you notice 33% of the property is to be built and 66% goes to the green area.

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Withdrawals vary depending on the area of the city where you live and the type of street your property faces. Vary the withdrawals if your property faces a large avenue, the main street, secondary or a green area.

Remember that outside the limits of withdrawals is forbidden to build, and if they build outside the limits allowed to be exposed to many problems.

• You will not be able to regularize the property.
• As a result of the above: You can never sell the house.
• You are exposed to economic fines for violating building regulations.
• You may be required to tear down what you have built outside of the permitted limits.

Follow the regulations and avoid many problems!

The solar path in a corner design house

There are only 4 corners in a conventional apple. And it is very important that you evaluate each one of those corners in relation to the trajectory of the sun.

Why?

Because in each corner, the 4 “sides” of your house will have a different orientation to the sun, which should guide your design and how to choose the best orientation for your home.

Depending on the orientation of the block there will be 2 “less favorable” corners with respect to the sun’s trajectory, and in extreme cases (especially in winter) they will not receive any sun on one of their sides.

Design and plans of a corner design house

You already know that I prefer to write and approach the concepts of designs through good examples. And more than showing you many random images, I choose to analyze a particular design in depth.

I invite you to know and analyze Casa Batin, located in Pinamar, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. A house designed by the Estudio Galera architects office.

A corner plot, almost flat, a pine forest in the north of Pinamar. A holiday home for rent without a fixed user, therefore a flexible needs program.

The design was made based on 3 conditions:

• To rise above the natural terrain avoiding to modify its original levels.
• Occupy the most meters in front on Fragata la Victoria street.
• Reduce the cost of future maintenance.

In this image, it is observed how the largest surface built in the longest façade of the house was occupied.

Two “concrete boxes” superimposed on the corner form an “L” on two levels and establish the separation at each level for different rooms and uses.

The first floor

When entering through the main entrance, there is a bedroom on the right, dressing room and bathroom. To the left and located the living room, the dining room, and a kitchen.

In the shortest part of the “L”, there is a semi-covered parking for 2 cars and a room that contains the grill (barbecue) and other services.

These rooms “close” the view of the neighboring house, but without sticking to the rest of the construction.

The second floor

The second floor is a level of private use dedicated to rest: three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

At the ends of the second floor, the bedrooms open looking for the best of the environment: pine trees as vertical bars in the forest.

The parasols and the bio-climatic design

The design included openings on the roof of the house, both outside and inside with which they seek (and manage) to set different periods of light and shadow with the passing of the hours.

Reflections in the concrete and in the mirrors transform the static space in dynamic environments.

Conclusion

The through holes were worked (which, in the construction process, are used so that the threaded rods cross the partitions and hold the formwork at the moment of pouring the concrete) as through light plugs.

Made with acrylic bars, during the day they transport sunlight into the interior, generating points of light on the plaster surface of the partition, while at night the exterior face illuminates. The images do not help much to show what is achieved with the “through holes” but it is a good idea. An element is used that is needed in the construction stage with concrete, then they are left and they are used as flashlights or light filters.

What do you think of this design? you like? From my point of view, it is simple, functional and responds well to the local climate and the trajectory of the sun.

I really like the work with the umbrellas and on the roof. They respected existing trees and took advantage of the views of the pine forest by leaving the rooms on the second level. You see that corner design houses have their own … It is a good option if you are looking for a piece of land, and if you already have it then I invite you to evaluate the advantages and restrictions that this type of land has.