Subtle Luxury and Breathtaking Views on a Spanish Island
A sustainable home on Formentera melds with the rock bed, highlighting the sculptural beauty of the local geology
This home is situated on a large plot of land next to Migjorn Beach, on the southern coast of the Spanish island of Formentera. It stands out for its spectacular views of a horizon interrupted only by the silhouette of the historic Pi des Català Tower.
“Between heavy and light, earth and air, handcrafted and high-tech, this project balances at the juncture of multiple dualities,” architect Marià Castelló says in the project description.
The rock breaking out of the ground at the site has been handled almost as if it were a sculpture, resulting in “a void that is reminiscent of the quarries of marès stone, a typical sandstone on the Balearic Islands,” Castelló says.
Castelló designed the home for an environmentally conscious family. It incorporates passive-house techniques suited to the local climate, and it includes a large cistern to collect rainwater. The house consists of three lightweight, dry-built modules plus a basement.
Castelló says this is one of the projects where his firm invested more energy in the study phase.
He notes that the design emphasizes two of the islands’ traditional references: the quarries, via the basement, and the wooden boathouses, via the upper level.
The natural cave in the patio at the main entrance was a surprise discovery made while the home was under construction.
“The appearance of a natural cave, right in the center of one of the patios we designed, was literally a gift,” Castelló says. “It meant that some adjustments had to be made straightaway to our original plan for the main entrance to the basement.”
Quality materials were prioritized in both the planning and execution stages. Castelló says they used “natural and, when possible, local materials,” both in response to the owners’ environmental goals and to fulfill green building criteria. “The sculpted rock, gravel from the excavation work, Capri limestone, pine and fir wood, recycled cotton panels, Macael White marble and high-permeability silicate paint were well-thought-out choices that define each space of the house.”
The basement floor plan.
The house has two stories and a roof terrace. On the lower level, “the clear absence of retaining walls allows the rocky substrate to come through, and there is a concrete structure above it — the white strip in the photo — that delineates the upper level and constitutes the support platform for the ground floor,” the architect explains.
The lower level integrates a single, 131-foot-long rock, making it one of the home’s most striking spaces. “We decided to do it this way because of the geotechnical survey carried out during the work, as well as the [beauty of the] rock that sticks out from the ground in this area, despite the extreme precision that was therefore required in the excavation phase,” Castelló says.
On the upper level, cross-laminated wood provides both structure and finish.
“What interests me most about this project is the binary opposition of materials between the basement and the ground floor,” says Castelló, who noted that he had the full confidence of the owners. “I think that is very clear because they allowed me to implement such a risky and unconventional proposal.”
In his novel approach to the downstairs bathroom, the architect applied his interest in metal-frame structures, which seem to “draw” the space rather than create it from built components. The wood laminate finish on part of the openings is the same fir used in the cross-laminated panels in the three modules on the upper floor.
Solid rods are the common denominator in many of the furniture pieces created for this project.
The upper-level floor plan. The master bedroom is at the left and the living area is in the center.
The home’s unusual layout created spaces for patios, connecting walkways and interesting views.
The architect highlighted the relative independence of the master suite from the rest of the house. The terrace also enjoys privacy from the rest of the home, he says.
The materials in this bathroom are cross-laminated fir (the structure, the enclosure and the finish are a single element), 6-by-12-inch Macael marble tiles on the floor and walls, and custom-made Corian pieces.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A family
Location: Bosc d’en Pep Ferrer, Formentera, Spain
Size: 2,626 square feet (244 square meters), plus a basement of 775 square feet (72 square meters)
Designer: Marià Castelló Architecture