Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, on the coast of Formentera, the house is the embodiment of the landscape and the slow and serene pace of life that the island promotes.
The project surges from the desire to integrate the architectural intervention with the physical environment both in composition and in colours and textures, combining linear Mediterranean architecture, minimalist principles and the island’s natural materials.
The house is a volumetric composition of stone elements and flat roofs, evoking the traditional walls of Formentera’s architecture. Made of natural dry stone with rustic wooden pergolas, the house is an extension of its surroundings.
Formed by a main body that stands out in proportions above the other volumes and is the centre of the house, the construction is articulated in different heights that help to break up the monumentality of the complex and give the building a human scale so necessary in the rustic terrain that surrounds it.
We can see elements characteristic of the vernacular architecture of the area in diverse details of the construction: the chimneys, the rounded edges of the corners and the wooden “board and bar” shutters.
The light, the protagonist of the project, creates a play of light and shadow throughout the day that is reflected in every corner, giving the surfaces dynamism.
The landscaping reflects the rocky and steep environment typical of the coast, minimally landscaped to avoid introducing landscape changes and enhancing integration with the native vegetation that surrounds the house. The plant species used are linked to the tradition of Formentera’s agriculture and gardens, thus guaranteeing maximum adaptation to the Mediterranean climate and water conditions.
The saline water pool, overflowing and limited by a border of stone, is situated parallel to the coast, blending into the horizon of the sea and marking the limits of an architecture that seems to have been designed by the island itself.
Location
Formentera, Balearic Islands
© GCA, All Rights Reserved
