Bate.Work designs corridor-free house in Madrid's Sierra

In Moralzarzal, in the Sierra de Madrid, Bate.Work has completed a 260-square-meter house that eliminates corridors and rigid compartmentalization. The project, led by architects José Antonio Miguel and Álvaro Carroquino with designer Ana Manuela Mejía, uses two geometries—a circular base supporting a prismatic volume with a gabled roof—to create continuous, flexible interior spaces. The design references Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown's postmodernist theories, particularly the Duck House, using the gabled roof as a symbolic representation of home while hiding a contemporary spatial logic. Inside, there are no hallways or doors; instead, platforms and slight level changes differentiate zones without closing them off. Circulation is free and non-hierarchical, with each point connected to multiple spaces. The neutral material palette and movable furniture allow the house to adapt over time. The circular plan maximizes garden area, reinforcing the connection to the Sierra landscape. Lighting plays a structural role, marking level changes and enhancing spatial relationships throughout the day. Photography by Borja Llobregat.