Castellano English

This private house on the coastline overlooks the open sea. The views, the topography and the orientation conditioned the design process, which managed an ambitious bioclimatic agenda and succeeded in the creation of a unique building.The kidney shaped plan opens all the rooms to the views towards the sea, with the roof gradually taking off from the ground at the side and rising over a mezzanine level that commands the elevation in the central section of the house. To the back, a separate aerofoil protects the South elevation, acting as a brise-soleil that allows the low winter sun to penetrate into the building. A helicoidal skylight that runs uninterrupted from side to side articulates the connection between the two roof geometries, provides natural light to all the servant spaces and induces cross ventilation. The semispherical shape generated allows to contain the volume with a reduced surface and minimizes the visual impact on the surrounding landscape from all viewpoints. The front elevation has a double skin which generates a buffer zone that modulates an ideal interaction with the environment throughout the year, and may be fully opened to connect the interior spaces with the surrounding landscape. The house incorporates a complex building management system that controls motorized windows and blinds to attain an optimal bioclimatic performance in response to all weather conditions. The services are carefully coordinated with the structure and the architecture to remain invisible. Seven master partition walls running along the axis of the external elliptical columns distribute the spaces and carry all the required conduits. The ceiling is free of any intruding elements and clad with bamboo slats and acoustic insulation to ensure adequate reverberation in all the rooms, some of which reach considerable heights. On the outside, the natural aluminium cladding of the roof allows the building to merge with the sky in different weather conditions and improves thermal performance, reflecting most of the incoming solar energy. The all glass façade incorporates low-e coatings tailored to each condition and orientation while retaining its transparency and lightness. The palette of external materials is limited to those that interact with light - natural anodized aluminium for the knife-edged vertical mullions and micaceous grey paint for the structure and the fiberglass clad overhanging dish. On the inside white lacquer, bamboo grey stone and white marble are left to speak for themselves. As it was intended, the complexity inherent in a building of this nature is not apparent in any of its spaces and all that remains are the views.. from a house that embraces the sky.

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