Flanked by two party walls, this family home unfolds from a foundational operation that consists in dividing the available plot into two strips: the built surface to one side, and open space, air and light to the other. A narrow prism in four heights concentrates the main areas: an independent commercial space and general access on the ground floor, a common first floor, a second floor for the parents, a third for the children, and the playful addition of a roof area with views. The negative of this prism forms a generous open space under the framed sky. Tree‐lined, intimate, and at once shaded and luminous, this truly is the heart of the house. Light enters by filtering through the lattices, altering the experience with each season and time of day. In sum, this home is designed for the Islands’ climate, to dissolve borders and allow for frequent outdoor living.
To acces the house, we traverse a crevice, a vent that is subtly separated from the facade. We then cross the welcome area, an austere zone that is also available as a parking space. At the back, a folded concrete staircase has the presence of a sculpture indicating the way upstairs. Although open, the staircase is sheltered from the rain by an elevated volume. Briefly bordering a royal palm, we enter the main courtyard on the higher level to finally gain access to the living space. Building on the initial idea, we have sought to create a simple facade: a lower plinth made of shiny lacquered steel sheet onto which a wide lattice is deployed vertically like a wall of woven openwork, fading progressively and playing with sunlight as it gains in height. As a supplement, behind the microperforated blinds of the ground‐floor commercial space, a wooden box offers a warm counterpoint that affirms its autonomous function.
The pavements are made of concrete, are polished on the inside, in floating slabs in the inner patio, or bamboo on the festive rooftop. To conclude, the brightness of the white accents the inner luminosity through a simple contrast of textures: traditional volcanic ash plaster, grinding sheet panels, smooth acrylic finish, paired blocks or Carrara marble to lie in the sun by the small swimming pool on the rooftop.
Text. equipo olivares (english translation: Francisco J. Hernández Adrián)
Team:
Studio: equipo olivares arquitectos
Architects: Javier Pérez‐Alcalde Schwartz, Fernando Aguarta García
Surveyor: José Floreal Martínez Bermúdez
Photography: José Oller / Flavio Dorta
Builder: Construcciones Francisco Rodríguez Reyes
