House Hutmann / SEA Arquitectos, Innovation
- Mark Lafond, RA
- Oct 7
- 7 min read
Sustainable Change Models of Innovation
House Hutmann / SEA Arquitectos
The Hutmann House by SEA Arquitectos stands on the wooded edge of Feáns in A Coruña, Spain, where the city slips into a landscape of slopes, trees, and open sky. The project answers this threshold condition with a compact, monolithic volume whose exterior reads as protective and timeless, while its interior opens to sun, view, and carefully framed pockets of quiet. The architects describe an innovative architecture of shelter and atmosphere, where the envelope acts as a thick shell and light is treated as a primary material. The result is a house that feels at once archaic in presence and contemporary in performance, a single gesture refined by voids, reveals, and a measured relationship to its site. [1][2]
Site and Context
Feáns sits just outside the urban core of A Coruña. The plot is at the end of a quiet street, bordered mostly by trees, with long views toward the city and the Atlantic beyond. The architects place the house slightly back on the parcel, using the rectangular footprint to gently mediate between domestic life and the broader landscape. A semi exterior gallery formed by setbacks in the volume runs toward the garage, tempering the transition from outdoors to indoors. By consolidating program into a single compact block, the project minimizes its footprint, preserves open ground, and concentrates investment in the envelope where it contributes most to thermal performance and durability. [1][2][3] arqsea.com+2ArchDaily+2
Form and Material Concept
The house is conceived as a massive, unified object. Walls and roof are cast in a continuous concrete envelope, so the exterior reads as a single material that folds from facade across the pitched roof planes. The concrete is deliberately textured and dark, with green and white flecks in the aggregate, an effect that softens the volume and lets weather, time, and lichen write a subtle patina over years. Openings are carved where they matter most: a large horizontal aperture frames the urban view, smaller cuts create deep reveals, and a central oculus admits zenithal light. The strategy is to build a strong, protective crust around a warm interior, then “hollow” it where light, view, and circulation demand. [1][2][3][8] arqsea.com+2ArchDaily+2
Plan and Spatial Organization
Inside, the house distinguishes between day and night zones with clarity. The day area is anchored by a skylight at the crossing of the cardinal axes, which becomes both an orienting device and a gentle source of top light that changes over hours and seasons.
Living and dining spaces open toward the framed city view, while bedrooms are more introspective, protected by the depth of the envelope and the filtering walls that precede the exterior. Circulation follows the figure of the volume, often buffered by the semi exterior gallery, so movement in the house is a sequence of thresholds, not abrupt transitions. The constant dialogue is between mass and void, dark and light, prospect and refuge. [2][3] ArchDaily+1
Structure and Construction
The structural system exploits the dual role of concrete as structure and skin. By extending the material continuously across walls and roof, the architects reduce interfaces, joints, and long term maintenance risks. The hipped roof geometry stiffens the shell and sheds rain efficiently in Galicia’s wet climate, while deep window reveals control glare, limit wind driven rain at openings, and provide passive shading. The deliberate roughness of the exterior finish is not merely aesthetic, it encourages a durable surface that will weather well, read at human scale, and accept environmental staining without appearing distressed. [2][3][8] ArchDaily+1
Environmental Strategy and Performance
Though not presented as an overt sustainability manifesto, the project’s fundamentals support robust environmental performance. The compact massing reduces envelope area relative to volume, decreasing heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. High thermal mass moderates indoor temperature swings, especially when paired with controlled openings that capture breezes and release warm air at the skylight. The semi exterior gallery acts as a buffer, pre conditioning air, offering shaded outdoor living, and extending the shoulder seasons for natural ventilation. The skylight’s position at the house’s center brings daylight deep into the plan, lowering reliance on artificial lighting during the day, while the deep facade cuts limit glare. These are simple, durable strategies that rely on physics and form more than on complex devices. [1][2][3] arqsea.com+2ArchDaily+2
Technologies and Smart Building Features
Documented information on specific mechanical and digital systems for the Hutmann House is limited in the public record. The published materials emphasize the envelope, spatial strategy, and light, not a catalog of devices. [1][2][3] To align the house with contemporary smart building practice, a sensible approach is to complement its passive strengths with discreet, interoperable systems that respect the architecture. A practical package for a house of this scale and climate would include the following, framed as recommendations rather than as built facts:
• A heat pump based hydronic radiant system with low temperature supply, tuned to the thermal mass of the concrete envelope, paired with a well insulated distribution network and zone valves for bedrooms and day spaces. Presence and temperature sensors would drive schedules, reduce standby loads at night, and adapt to shoulder season swings.
• Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery sized to the useful area, with CO₂ and humidity sensors to modulate flow rates. The semi exterior gallery and operable skylight can be integrated into a mixed mode strategy, switching from natural to mechanical ventilation automatically when conditions demand.
• A KNX or open protocol backbone for lighting, shades, and sensors, preserving the ability to adjust scenes with wired wall stations while enabling app or voice control. Daylight responsive dimming near the large facade opening and under the oculus would maintain visual comfort as sky conditions change.
• Sub metering at main circuits to track base loads, plug loads, and HVAC demand. Data logging supports commissioning and seasonal tuning, especially in a high mass house where thermal lag matters.
• Optional rooftop PV sized to the roof geometry and local feed in rules, with a small battery for peak shaving and resilience. The system would prioritize self consumption during daylight hours, particularly for the heat pump and ventilation.
These measures are not claims about the existing installation, they are an evidence based path to extend the project’s passive intelligence with modest, reliable technology. They keep complexity low, respect the architecture, and yield measurable comfort and energy gains.
Craft, Material Innovation, and Architectural Significance
What distinguishes the Hutmann House is not novelty for its own sake, but the coherence with which a few ideas are pushed all the way through. The concrete’s dark aggregate mix, the continuation of the material across roof planes, and the controlled array of cuts give the building an uncommon unity. The house feels “carved,” not assembled. The skylight is more than a device for illumination, it is a spatial hinge and a temporal marker. The buffering gallery and deep reveals turn thickness into comfort, giving shelter to movement in rain and sun alike. The project has been recognized in international venues for its clarity and execution, which speaks to the quality of its concept and construction. [4][6] LOOP Design Awards+1
Project Data, Budget, and Delivery
Published data place the total built area at 297.50 square meters, with a useful area of 238.88 square meters on a 1,198.00 square meter plot. The recorded budget is €263,550, with project dates noted as July 2020. Using the built area, the reported budget equates to roughly €885.88 per square meter. Using the useful area, it is approximately €1,103.27 per square meter. These figures are based on the published budget and do not include taxes, land cost, furniture, landscaping beyond the immediate terraces, or professional fees unless otherwise stated by the sources. [3] Metalocus
Construction Costs
• Reported construction budget: €263,550.
• Built area: 297.50 square meters, useful area: 238.88 square meters, plot: 1,198.00 square meters.
• Implied cost, built area basis: ~€885.88 per square meter.
• Implied cost, useful area basis: ~€1,103.27 per square meter.These values are drawn from published project data and serve as an index of scope and finish level, rather than a complete cost model. [3] Metalocus
Specifications
Documented specifications from public sources
Location, Feáns, A Coruña, Spain. [1][2][3] arqsea.com+2ArchDaily+2
Address, Fontáns de Feáns, 4, 15190 A Coruña. [3] Metalocus
Site area, 1,198.00 square meters. [3] Metalocus
Built area, 297.50 square meters. [3] Metalocus
Useful area, 238.88 square meters. [3] Metalocus
Completion, July 2020. [3] Metalocus
Year listed, 2020 in project registry, 2025 publication in ArchDaily. [2] ArchDaily
Architects, SEA Arquitectos, lead architect Carlos Graña; team includes Guillermo Pomar. [2][5] ArchDaily+1
Category, single family house. [2] ArchDaily
Structural and envelope material, reinforced concrete continuous across walls and roof. [2][3] ArchDaily+1
Exterior finish, dark concrete with aggregates in green and white tones. [2][3] ArchDaily+1
Primary facade strategy, deep reveals, framed aperture to city view, semi exterior gallery generated by setbacks. [2][3] ArchDaily+1
Daylight strategy, central zenithal skylight at crossing of cardinal axes. [2][3] ArchDaily+1
Interior character, warm finishes contrasted with protective exterior. [1][2] arqsea.com+1
Landscape approach, active integration that avoids mimicry while remaining harmonious. [3] Metalocus
Photographer, Héctor Santos Díez. [2][3] ArchDaily+1
Client, Dña. Concepción Rodríguez Villalba. [3] Metalocus
Recognitions, featured in international awards media including Loop Design Awards and IRA Awards 2023. [4][6] LOOP Design Awards+1
Reported construction budget, €263,550. [3] Metalocus
Materials noted by registry, concrete and stone. [2] ArchDaily
Suggested smart building upgrades for this house type, not documented by the sources
Whole house KNX backbone for lighting, shading, and sensors, with wired keypads and app control.
Daylight responsive dimming near the main facade and under the skylight for visual comfort.
Heat pump based hydronic radiant heating and cooling, zoned by day and night areas.
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, demand controlled by CO₂ and humidity sensors.
Mixed mode control that coordinates the skylight and facade openings with MVHR to favor natural ventilation.
Sub metering at HVAC and lighting circuits to support seasonal tuning and performance tracking.
Rooftop PV array sized to roof geometry with a small battery for peak shaving and resilience.
Leak detection and automatic shutoff on main water line, with point sensors in wet areas.
Integrated security with perimeter contacts and discreet presence detection, privacy first in bedrooms.
Hardwired network backbones to support reliable operation of critical controls, with secure remote access.
These items 21–30 are proposed strategies that respect the architecture and climate, they are not claims about the existing installation.
Project Images
Works Cited
SEA Arquitectos. “Hutmann House.” Accessed 2025.
ArchDaily. “House Hutmann / SEA Arquitectos.” Published 2025.
Bonas, Adela. “A Clear Feeling of Protection. Hutmann House by SEA Arquitectos.” Metalocus, published 2023.
Loop Design Awards. “Hutmann House.” Accessed 2025.
Archilovers. “Hutmann House | SEA Arquitectos.” Published 2023.
The Architecture Community. “Hutmann House | SEA Arquitectos | IRA Awards 2023.” Accessed 2025.
SEA Arquitectos. “HUTMANN HOUSE.” arqsea.com.
“House Hutmann / SEA Arquitectos.” ArchDaily.
Bonas, Adela. “A Clear Feeling of Protection. Hutmann House by SEA Arquitectos.” Metalocus.
“Hutmann House.” Loop Design Awards.
“Hutmann House | SEA Arquitectos.” Archilovers.
“Hutmann House | SEA Arquitectos | IRA Awards 2023.” The Architecture Community. thearchitecturecommunity.com+5arqsea.com+5ArchDaily+5
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