Project details

Category

Residence

The House is located in a coastal region of Riambel. It is surrounded by other private residences with gardens, narrow plots and a Sunday market. Due to the narrow and deep shape of the site and with an exclusive view to high hills at the front side, DTS Architects Ltd decided the volume of housing to reach the two levels.
The basic principle of the structure was existing, and DTS Architects Ltd transformed its final architecture into a functional development within the shell with some demolition and extension.
Although the site totals only 290 square meters (3000 square feet), it was important for the client to preserve area for natural landscaping. The house encloses an intimately scaled exterior courtyard with a swimming pool that opens to the southwest on the ground floor for maximum daylight to enter into the site. The resulting U-shaped mass, along with varying floor plates at each level, helps break down the scale of the building to better integrate it within the diverse residential neighbourhood.
On the ground floor, the open flow of living, dining and kitchen areas face out onto the central courtyard and swimming pool. The Large sliding glass partitions allow in daylight and connecting interior and exterior spaces. Similarly on the second floor, living spaces are arranged around the central courtyard. Although the building engages with the street, doing away with the traditional privacy wall, windows are sparingly used at the front facade. The house truly “opens” to the central courtyard in order to provide privacy for its inhabitants.
The stone cladding in natural tones dominates the entrance, while upstairs the respectively selected walls cladding and lightings offer tranquillity in the family. To take advantage of the view to the high hills, we organized the living room at the front part of the ground floor and the kitchen at the back, with direct contact to a private garden through the swimming pool.
The first floor was developed as one volume throughout the width of the site, taking advantage of the view towards the hill sides from all bedrooms. Furthermore, as cantilever it shelters the entrance of the residence. This level hosts a private family living room and the private spaces of the bedrooms and the bathrooms
The interior expresses a minimalist palette of finishes that include natural oak flooring, ash veneer, plywood, and paint.

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