House in Nueva Santa Bárbara

The design for this detached house is composed of different volumes which intersect with one another, facing east to provide sea views and to take advantage of the Levante breeze. The house’s façades combine blind walls made of exposed white bricks with large glass panels. One of the most striking features is the unusual roof, an exposed reinforced concrete slab placed like a lid on top of each of the volumes. In order to achieve a more lightweight feel, the brick walls do not reach the roof and the concrete slabs appear to float above the blocks.

Most of the volumes contain a single floor and are different sizes, shapes and heights. The two northernmost blocks are an exception, with a basement floor housing the garage, wine cellar, storeroom and utility room. The longer of the two blocks also contains a first floor.

Each volume is assigned a specific use and is open or closed to the rest of the rooms depending on its private or public nature. This creates an interesting physical and visual relationship between the common areas.

The layout of the house is based around a single central space. The entrance is located in the middle of this space, opening onto a large hall in which the free-standing staircase made from glass and steel is the main feature. Behind the staircase are a kitchen and dining room, while on the other side of the hall, a living room and an additional small living area round off this unique space characterised by different heights and abundant natural light pouring in from the numerous windows overlooking the garden.

The house features a covered porch and a patio. The roof of the south-facing covered porch is formed by the floor of the first floor, and it is larger than the patio which faces east. Both are connected to the central living space, creating a welcome sensation of being surrounded by the greenery of the garden.