Spain Houzz Tour: Minimalist Luxury and Island Views Make a Home

Castelló designed the home for an environmentally conscious family. It incorporates passive house techniques that are proven to be effective in the local climate, and a large cistern or tank to collect rainwater. The house consists of three lightweight modules and a basement.

Castelló says that this is “one of the projects where we invested more energy in the study phase”. He notes that the coherent design “emphasises two of the islands’ traditional references: the quarry, through the basement; and the coastal boathouses [for which wood is the main material], on the upper level.”

The natural cave in the patio at the main entrance was a surprise that the architect discovered while the home was already under construction.

“The appearance of a natural cave, right in the centre of one of the patios we designed, was, literally, a gift. It meant that some adjustments had to be made straight away to our original plan for the main entrance to the basement,” says Castelló.

Quality materials were prioritised in both the planning and execution stages. Castelló says that they used “natural and, when possible, local materials,” both in response to the owners’ environmental goals and to fulfil green building criteria. “The sculpted rock, gravel from the excavation work, Capri limestone, pine and fir wood, recycled cotton panels, Macael white marble, and high-permeability silicate paint were well-thought-out choices that define each space of the house.”

The lower level integrates a single, 40-metre-long rock, making it one of the home’s most striking spaces. “We decided to do it this way because of the geotechnical survey carried out during the work, as well as the [beauty of the] rock that sticks out from the ground in this area, despite the extreme precision that was therefore required in the excavation phase.”

On the upper level, cross-laminated timber carries out several functions: it serves as a structural element, finish material and as the home’s doors. “What interests me most about this project is the binary opposition of materials between the basement and the ground floor,” the architect says.

In addition, he tells us that he had the full confidence of the owners, “and I think that is very clear because they allowed me to implement such a risky and unconventional proposal”.

The novel approach to the downstairs bathroom applies the architect’s interest in wireframe structures that seem to ‘draw’ the space rather than create it from building components. “That is why I decided to use a 12-millimetre smooth solid rod.”

The wood laminate finish on part of the openings is the same fir timber used in the cross-laminated panels that compose the structure of the three modules on the upper floor.

The rod is the common denominator for many pieces of furniture that were created specifically for this project. Some are from Diabla, the latest outdoor furniture brand from Gandíablasco.

The home’s unusual layout made room for patios, connecting walkways and interesting views.

The architect highlights the relative independence of the master bedroom suite from the rest of the house. The terrace also “enjoys a lot of privacy from the rest of the home itself.”

The materials in this bathroom are cross-laminated fir (the structure, the enclosure and the finish are a single element), 30 x 15 centimetre white Macael marble tiles on the floor and walls and custom-made Corian elements.

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