Extrastudio designed the project on a narrow, steep plot, surrounded by nature, with a privileged position just five-minutes walk from the beach, with panoramic views of the ocean, the valley, and the town in the distance.
The architects conceived the house with a program free from daily constraints, a vacation home that allows a certain degree of freedom and experimentation. A home that should be generous, informal, physically present, and impose its own rhythm.
With this premise, they created a radically simple form for the house, combining elements used in local historic buildings in a way that is only possible in the present.
In the words of Extrastudio, "The relationship with the topography was fundamental: the house grazes the ground as lightly as possible, allowing the existing terrain to flow downward. Four load-bearing walls support a cruciform podium, on which the house sits, suspended above the ground. The platform only touches the sloping terrain once to allow access, while the other sides house terraces that float in the air in all directions and extend the interior space to the exterior, giving each room its own private refuge."
Casa Plaj by Extrastudio. Photograph by Clemens Poloczek.
Description project by Extrastudio
A void is cut from the solid form of the house to make an open-air courtyard entrance, enclosed by a large, sliding gate. Organised on one level, the kitchen, dining, and living share a generous space, which opens symmetrically to the north, east, and west, while the three bedrooms face south.
Restricted to a maximum enclosed area of 120m2, the interior compensates for the small footprint by taking full advantage of the volume’s height, creating an unexpected sense of grandeur and scale. A large skylight reinforces this impression in the living room, while elsewhere a series of oculi, designed precisely within the structure’s geometry using a 3D model, allow direct light from the skylight to cut through the house, reaching its darkest areas. For four months of the year, a beam of light illuminates each room before sunset, reaching peak intensity at the summer and winter solstices.
Simple architectural devices enable and encourage flexibility and informality. The windows recede completely into the walls, transforming the house into a large alfresco space, extending the indoors outdoors and allowing moments like bathing to become open-air experiences.
Close dialogue between the clients and builder during construction allowed time, chance and workers’ knowledge to leave their marks on the house. Grey plastered walls were left bare, making a monochrome interior. New portholes and niches were added where possible, a steel door in the stairwell was replaced with red glass, Iranian silver travertine and blueish-green marble were chosen to match the interior walls, and the exterior, intended to be grey, finally gained colour.
Outside, a long swimming-pool stands among wild pine trees, parallel to the sea. The landscape was barely touched. All existing trees were retained and a grid of fruit trees was planted on the slopes, to preserve the agricultural character of the surroundings.
Our clients invited us to stay at the house after its completion. The only sounds in the air were the waves breaking onto the shore and voices from the far side of the valley. At night, birds we did not know warbled, and croaking frogs from a nearby creek kept us company.
