STR · A viewpoint to Talamanca

Balearic Islands, PM, Spain

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STR · A viewpoint to Talamanca

Balearic Islands, PM, Spain

Firm

Gallardo Llopis Arquitectos

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2017

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

The turquoise sparkles of Cala Talamanca nuance the vibrant Mediterranean light that outlines, in the distance, the rocky silhouette of Dalt Vila. This landscape frame is the backdrop that can be seen from Ses Torres, in a plot of modest dimensions that, however, has a clear visual field thanks to its corner location at the top of a street that descends to the sea. Enhancing these views will become the main objective of a project that, at the same time, must provide adequate privacy to the interior spaces of the home.

With a certain natural slope, the original irregular topography of the terrain favours the possibility of raising the building over the horizon. Working with the contour lines of the site, a podium is configured improving substantially not only the contemplation of the views but also increasing considerably the sensation of intimacy of the plot with respect to the street level. This play on heights accentuates the presence of the curve of the plot itself, emphasising the strength of its expressive capacity. On this modelled terrain sits a volume of markedly massif character, with a predominance of opaque surfaces that guarantee the intimacy of the inhabitable spaces: a white block sculpted at the will of the programme and the environment. The upper body cantilevered over the lower plane in shadow, opening all the way to the front to turn towards the privileged views of the southwest. The rotundity of the volumetric gesture contrasts with the delicacy of the frontal elevation, with a painstaking execution that achieves the physical materialisation of the ethereal edges. Adapting to the peculiarities of urban geometry, the access folds the rear façade following the inclination of the plot itself, in a cleft that tears the entire elevation and outlines the forceful edge that results from the intersection of the different planes.

Inside, the ground floor houses the functions of a day zone, with diaphanous spaces that combine the uses of living room, dining room and kitchen. Despite the spatial unity achieved, the design of the furniture and the study of the lighting facilitate the configuration of different environments that adapt the experience of the space to the different situations. The diaphanousness is also nuanced by the possibility of making the kitchen independent by means of a series of mobile panels integrated into the walls, resulting in the versatility of the distribution. The entire ground floor opens up to the wide panoramic views, with glazed corners that can be opened completely, blurring the boundaries between the interior and the landscaped exterior. Orienting towards its own garden, the main room occupies the entire west side, integrating its own dressing room and bathroom, while a light-flown staircase leads to the upper floor where the rest of the night zone rooms are developed. The rooms on the first floor open onto a continuous terrace that runs along the cantilever and frames the landscape of Ibiza's long sunset.

With the intention of catching not only the views but also the breezes, the main spaces are arranged in such a way that they can enjoy double orientation: on the ground floor through the confrontation of two large glass panels and on the first floor with the interposition of an elongated garden courtyard. In this way, not only is it possible to generate cross ventilation that allows the favourable climatic conditions of the island to be exploited, but also a complete sensation of spatial continuity is achieved between the interior and the exterior. Thus, the diaphanous day zone space is conceived as an uninterrupted concatenation of exterior-interior-exterior, with its different gradients determined by the interposition of the cantilevers, whose cast shadow not only regulates the solar incidence but also prolongs the sensation of interior in the terraced exterior. The stone plane of the pavement finds its culmination with the water plane of the swimming pool which, with its bluish reflections, ends up amplifying the perception of this spatial continuity.