Between the sea and the mountains. House 695 by RGB Arquitectos

Description of project by RGB Arquitectos

The plot of land overlooking the sea is hidden inside a private urbanization that has developed along a mountain.  We were not aware of the presence that the house would have in the landscape until we looked for the best points of view where the house could be appreciated in a clear way. It was then when we discovered the rotundity with which the construction was going to be seen from the access to the urbanization.

We decided to make a combination when materializing the elevation that would be the most visual exposure. On one hand, there is a completely linear piece, which configures the ceiling of the first floor, while the roof of the ground floor appears fragmented, due mainly to the presence of the pool, which emerges as a cantilevered break. Even the first linear piece, to lose some presence (given the robustness of the whole), intends to dematerialize by tilting it in one of its planes.

The  main goal was to try to blur the house, for which, in addition to the comments, the construction was integrated into the mountain so that the day area and the main room, together with the main outdoor spaces and the pool, are located on the first floor, while the rest of the rooms (whose roof forms the terrace of the living room, thus adapting to the shape of the ground), are on the ground floor. In addition, a basement with a diaphanous distribution that complete the programs of plant of the house.
 
In the other hand, the access to the plot itself, which, as we have said, is located in one of the most private and hidden areas of the urbanization. From this point of view, the residentce can be seen in a completely different way. It is practically impossible to see from the street through which it is accessed since it is on the highest part of the property.

The pedestrian access to the house is shared with a cobblestone road flanked by stone walls of the area. Thus, a slow approach to the house is made, allowing you to discover it little by little along with your own environment, participating in its integration into it. The transparency through a glass next to the entrance door to the interior, allows us to witness the sea views of almost 180 degrees that the house enjoys, something that is evidenced when you go inside.

In terms of materiality, we have tried to work with noble natural materials. The floors are  made in marble, treated differently if it is indoor or outdoor, as well as the coatings of the bathrooms. For the exterior, the tradition of white architecture of the place is combined with the nobility of wood and the dry stone of the area, always keeping a perspective as contemporary as possible. The use of artificial lights, mainly in a linear way, helps this last purpose in a resounding way, reinforcing the volumetric concepts worked on during the fragmentation of the whole construction.