Langarita-Navarro Arquitectos designed the Casa Baladrar in the Spanish town of Benissa, Alicante. A two-storey house at typical Spanish tourist destination, however Luis Diaz Dias, which always think about all of the things that could happen inside a house, proposed take photographies as a The Manhattan Transcripts story (By Bernard Tshcumi).
In the Room Bernard Tschumi on 1978 explains and showed the crime evidences in The Park. Luis Diaz Diaz shows us pictures with a man slumped over the mint-green frame of one of the house's many large windows, another features a woman lying behind a sofa on the terracotta tiles of the living room floor or a swimming pool containing a body face down.
"I wanted to create a contrast between the clarity of the architectural lines of the house and these kind of weird events," explained the photographer.
On the other hand, the architecture. The interior include a series of faceted ceilings that angle back and forth through the open-plan living room and kitchen, on house's upper floor. They added these details (and green glass tiles covering some of the lower walls) to mimic the rugged topography, an slope with small vegetation pieces that links the house with the sea "We wanted a way to inhabit this rocky landscape," said María Langarita Architect.
A series of bedrooms are located on the lower level. Like the living room, each one can be opened out to surrounding terraces by sliding back glass doors and perforated metal shutters. "Our goal was to make a very open house, so when the windows are open they disappear completely behind these lively green lattices and you don't see any glass," said Langarita.
Project description by María Langarita y Víctor Navarro
The scattered and trans-European city that the mountainous coast of Alicante has become, houses a heterogeneous population that is drawn to the sun, the sea, the temperate climate, the convenient public services and the leafy greenery.
The promise of relaxing and hedonistic experiences captivates both seasonal tourists and long-term residents who see their expectations fulfilled amongst jasmine and bougainvilleas. The project draws from this context and is designed to meet the demands of multiple families in the summertime and as a haven for retirees the rest of the year.
Casa Baladrar by María Langarita y Víctor Navarro. Photography © Luis Diaz Diaz.
The house rests on terraces that were once used for farming, which resolve the steep gradient of the terrain. The plot's sloping nature means that there are some spectacular views of the sea from its upper reaches, while the lower portion looks over a wooded streambed that carries water into a pebble-strewn cove.
The house takes advantage of the views and the breeze and makes the most of the uneven terrain and vegetation for the creation of small areas where activities can take place simultaneously, day and night. The existing trees were preserved and new species added in an effort to conquer the promising exuberance of local flora.
The interior spaces are arranged in a cascade, with common areas on the upper floor adjoining the terraces with their views, and bedrooms on the lower floor with access to the garden and swimming pool. The detail proposed for the openings eliminates all presence of glass when they are drawn back, transforming the house into an enormous porch that provides continuity between outside and inside activities.
The building uses the thermal inertia of the concrete and stone to its advantage, combining it with the lightness of the avocado green latticework and the glass tiles to create a cool and well-ventilated atmosphere. The house's geometry and mineral quality reflect the impressive Peñón de Ifach and respond to a desire for time travel, with a minimum amount of maintenance.
Casa Baladrar by María Langarita y Víctor Navarro. Photography © Luis Diaz Diaz.
