Director: Joaquín Torres,Joaquin Torres arquitectos s.l.p. Partner architect: Rafael Llamazares Project: Familiar house in Marbella Location: Marbella, Spain Built surface: 2.872 m2 Project date: September 20th Finish date: November 2011 Construction: Obras y Otras cosas S.L. Photographer: Jacobo España (Negami)
A-cero presents one of its last projects in single family houses in Marbella. The property is placed on the outskirts of Puerto Banús, in one of the most famous and exclusive developments in the Sun Coast. This development is located on one side of a mountain but very close to the coast, with plenty of Mediterranean vegetation.
The plot where the project is located has a notorious slope that goes down to the South from the street access. This fact would determinate the design to adapt the house to the environment and achieve excellent views of the Mediterranean Sea.
The possibilities of the plot and the wishes of the property appear in the execution of this huge project.
The floor is rectangular and places the most used spaces to the south façade in order to enjoy the views. Here is where the plot is open to the outside.
The north façade, where is located the access to the house, is more sober but forceful from an architectonic point of view, with walls and plans crossed and cut. There is a path with geometric forms covered with a layer of water that goes to the main door.
The windows are secondary on the aesthetics of the house, but really important to give light to the corridors, distributors or common spaces.
All the rooms, both public and private, are located in the rear part of the house, with the porch, the pool, the garden and a tennis court.
In this part of the house, orientated to the south, the black glass windows are bigger to connect the outside with the inside, like the big one in the living room that hides in the floor automatically.
The greatest part, in architectonic terms, is the big volume over the porch where stays the main bedroom on the first floor.
The property is “dressed” with Roman transventilated travertine stone.
Inside, the house has wide spaces, all of them modeled by natural light.
The property is developed in three levels:
The low floor is the most public space and includes the living-room, kitchen, dining room, laundry and a little service room.
The first floor is the most private area and here we can find the bedrooms and a little office.
The ground floor is dedicated to a relax area, with a spa, an internal pool, gym and garage. The large central courtyards that articulate the property core give light to this level of the house.