Spanish house crowned best in the world

Is this the world's best house?

A house in Spain has been offered bragging rights as the world's best house after it won House of the Year at 2016's World Architecture Festival.

The energy efficient house, designed by Oliver Hernaiz Architecture Lab (OHLAB), is named MM House and is located in Palma, the capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Perched on a sloping site, MM House was built with the views and the slope of the terrain in mind. It was purposely designed in boxes - kitchen, living/dining, main bedroom and guest bedrooms - which can be used together or independently.

MM House in Spain can now call itself the world's best house after beating 19 other projects to win the most competitive category at the World Architecture Awards 2016. Picture: José Hevia/OHLAB

"Each box is placed carefully on the ground and rotates on its axis with precision to find the best views and orientation for their use," OHLAB says of the design on its website.

Designed as a home that promotes environmental and sustainability values, the pitched roofs have a system for collecting rainwater - three of them collect water for irrigation and general use while a fourth collects water for consumption.

It also features intelligent technology and insulation systems to ensure heating and cooling is energy efficient and sustainable.

"The heat exchanger ensures air renovation wasting no energy and it is optimised to use the heat generated with showers' steam and cooking to transform it into heating. Thanks to this design cooling is not necessary, which is typically an issue in the hot days of Mallorca's summer," the website reads.

"The energy to heat the hot water is obtained almost entirely from the solar thermal installation."

Each box is also thoughtfully positioned to take advantage of the natural light and surroundings. Each has large openings towards the views, and smaller openings on the opposite facade, allowing cross ventilation.

The home was designed to be energy efficient and environmentally sustainable. Picture: José Hevia/OHLAB

The South openings are built to let the sun enter in winter and block it in summer, while the East and West openings have exterior shutters.

Speaking of the award-winning home, the judges of the World Architecture Festival Awards said MM House "transcends the beauty of the everyday, as well as being an inspiring paradigm for the art of the possible".

The house was finished last September.

The home is divided into 'boxes' which can be used together or independently. Picture: José Hevia/OHLAB