LA ROCA - BINOMIO MAR-MONTAÑA EN EL MEDITERRÁNEO - RAMÓN ESTEVE ARQUITECTO

“Any house should ever be on a hill or anything. It should be from the hill. Belonging to her. Hill and house should live together, each happy for the other.”-

Frank Lloyd Wright.

Casa la Roca is located north of Barcelona, just half an hour from the city. The plot is located on a hillside facing the sea, with a lush landscape typical of a Mediterranean forest where pines, holm oaks and large cork oaks predominate.

The project is born from the maximum respect for the environment where it is located. The richness of the orography is essential for the generation and implantation of housing. The volume of the house acquires a massive and heavy aspect in relation to the connection with the terrain from which it emerges: a large base of native stone merges with the mountain and forms a single element. This plinth is crowned by brown concrete platforms that protect and extend the interior space towards the exterior and allow the different views of the plot to be captured.

The movement of the volumes is defined by the location of the existing singular trees, which are maintained and surround the house. The site has a rock that emerges from the ground and offers a privileged position, from this point the best views of the horizon are obtained. The house is organized around this rock: the pool takes center stage where the rock emerges from the water and the navy blue color blends with the sea.

To reinforce the concept of landscape integration, all the colors, textures and the chromatic range of materiality blend in with the tonalities of the environment. The masonry base is worked as in the typical constructions of the Maresme and a stone from the area is used. The concrete is stained brown to give continuity to the stony part. The woods used are dark on the outside to blend in with the tree trunks and provide durability, while on the inside they are bright and softer.

In this project the landscape plan acquires great importance. The garden is conceived as a field integrated into the Mediterranean coastal forest, which includes a palette of typical Mediterranean species chosen for their structure, texture or flowering. Said flowering is chosen following the chromatic range of the house for its orange and ocher colours, which harmonize with wood, steel and stone. Various degrees of outdoor spaces are generated where vegetation appropriates the space, such as patios, gardens, gazebos, or plant cover.

Pedestrian access to the house is located on the first floor, through a long cantilever that collects the visitor. On this level are the day rooms and the master bedroom. It is an open floor plan that opens up to the duality of the landscape, on the one hand, the presence of the horizon floods the interior space; on the other, the Mediterranean forest refreshes and reinforces the immediate connection to the environment.

Architect Ramon Esteve

Collaborating Architects Estefanía Pérez, Jacobo Mompó, María Parra, María Luna / Collaborators REE Tudi Soriano, Pau Raigal / External Collaborators Prodein Ingeniería, Structo Ingenieros / Technical Architect Emilio Pérez, Carolina Tarazona / Constructora Covisal Futur S.L. / Site manager Gonzalo Llin / Photography Mariela Apollonio / Audiovisual Alfonso Calza / Music Holzwarth & Sebastian

Project 2019 / Surface 1035 m2 / Location Barcelona

+34 963 510 434

www.ramonesteve.com