The building materials have been chosen under ecological criteria, with natural elements such as stone, wood, glass, etc.
The sun is our main energy source, both for hot water and heating as for electricity.
During the periods of less solar radiation a wood-burning stove with its high
heating performance is connected to the heating system as a support. And for
total guarantee we added a conventional electric boiler.
The heath is kept inside the house, retained in the thick natural stone wall
of the 2 level living room, and toghether with the floor, form the thermal
mass that gradually releases the stored heath.
The natural refrigeration system for the living area is based upon ancient arab habits. In the upper part of the double stone wall the small windows to the north seize the air, which is cooled off in a clay moist canal that circulates down the wall, and is driven out into the room through an opening in the lower part. In winter we close the upper exterior openings, and the stove heats the air drawn from the room and returns it through the air passages situated above.
A photovoltaic system with conection to the grid of 2 KW compensates for the
electric consumption in the house.
The rainwater is harvested in a storage tank, and is depurated and treated
together with the water coming from shower, bath, washbasins, washing machine
and the filter of the swimming pool, to be used in toilets, garden, terraces
and garage.
We enter the kitchen and patio through the garage, or we can come in by the main entrance, situated on the covered triangle shaped terrace with its wide stairs that lead to the front door.
The kitchen, next to the lobby and the garage, is spacious and light. It has
been designed with built-in furniture and concrete polished work surface.
The cooktop with exhaust hood and an incorporated table in the middle turn
this work area into a more sociable place.
The dining room is a beautiful space halfway between the kitchen, patio and
terraces, bathed in light from all its side. The big glazed folding terrace
doors place this room practically outside on the terrace but offer protection
from colder winter breeze.
Very special is the double level living room that emerges dominating the building
and its surroundings. It incorporates the landscape and the light to its interior,
creating different atmospheres to enjoy. On the upper level we can isolate
us and seize the beautiful views with the pine trees and the sea; beneath,
outdoor life joins the protected spaces inside where we can turn away looking
for the warmth and well being from the chimney in the solid natural stone
wall, or hide in the small corner under the staircase, an intimate shelter
for reading.
The terraces and porche depart from here and shape different places and corners,
blending with nature and the surroundings, like the roots of a tree, which
is the house. A peaceful refreshing atmosphere with the sound of the overflowing
water at the edges of the pool.
Then you have the more intimate wing of the house: the passage to the bathroom,
with separate toilet and a big shower, the adjacent bedrooms and a small studio,
form a complete and independent suite, on the way to the main bedroom.
This is a very protected space where life remains hidden, also from the exterior,
by means of its peculiar junction angle. It has its own bathroom with dressing
room and a big turkish bath where you can look at the starry sky through the
big glass vault.
This house has been born of a dream and he/she has those things that make it so beloved and at the same time so strong and functional. He/she lives off their environment, of the nature, it watches over her and it controls as a castle their domains from the highest place and he/she enjoys her from their spaces, journeys and corners. It is also protected of her when the climatic conditions are adverse and the necessity arises of looking to the interior of a warm and sure space, a great stone wall and the fire. The orientation and the views organize a sequence of journeys and places in those that the public area prevails, of to be that opens up to the exterior or he/she closes on the chimney, looking to its interior.
