Based on a series of conditions imposed by the terrain and the immediate surroundings, we designed a two-floor house on a platform that rests on the natural terrain. We chose to bring the built volume closer to the western edge of the plot, in order to minimise earth movements, thus leaving room for a garden and vegetable patch. 

Given the steep slope of the street, the roofs of the houses adjacent to the plot are at very different levels.Therefore, in order to avoid a big clash in the height of the buildings on the street elevation, we decided to bring these heights closer together by aligning the edges of the building’s roof with those of the neighbours, resulting in a sloping roof that follows the slope of the street.

The volumetry presented results from the deconstruction and de-materialisation of the shape of the ‘box’ – a pure volume from which ‘parts’ have been removed. These negatives, combined with the interior programme, resulted in spaces such as porches, patios, roofs and balconies that ensure the building is lighter. Designed with a simple spatial plan, it starts from a central element of the house – the living room – to which full and empty spaces are added. 

The full elements, considered to be the private areas of the house, such as bedrooms, kitchen and storage; and the empty elements, the patios. This distribution translates into a very fluid organisation of spaces, promoting communication between the different areas, alternating indoor and outdoor spaces so that they can be joined and extended.