Merino House
The Merino House is a family house settled in the fertile plain of Granada, in a landscape of orchards somewhat distorted by the many developments plots of small size that gradually have been colonizing the territory, distorting the rural character of the same. On such limited area, we choose to implement a compact box shaped strategically that explode the full potential of the site.
Site:
Arabs settled in the fertile plain of Granada, at the foot of Sierra Nevada, numerous farmhouses that are the original core of the current towns of it. They created a network of canals that still survive, perfectly regulated by decrees or "dulas", where they were produced and produce still today all kinds of fruit and vegetables. "The Merino house" is inserted in this landscape of orchards somewhat distorted by the many developments plots of small size (400 m², in our case) that gradually have been colonizing the territory, distorting the rural character of the same.
On such limited area, we choose to implement a compact box shaped strategically that explode the full potential of the place.
Project. Volume:
In the Villa Müller by Adolf Loos (1930) space is defined by a projective method that seems to come from the excavation of space itself, where soil and cover are compressed and expanded by the amount of 'air' required.
"The Merino house", as in the aforementioned villa, is conceived as an embedded prism in a plot with seemingly flat relief, which will then run some carvings product of the ratio of the volume with the natural terrain to fit on the ground or as a result of the searched relationships between projected spaces; it is so constituted a monolithic box that will be the raw material for space. Overall the usable vacuum is to dig a spatial sequence into the box, which is framed by the rooms on the upper levels and technical and service spaces in the lower house. The interspace is a cut carved into the built mass that is linked to outer space.
The openings in the volume does not come from outside, actually the opposite is true; They are the result of the excavation of the interior space looking for light, and obey the internal logic of the project expressing seemingly random. The only holes that come from the outside will be on access, where a porch is modeled, removing the excess prism and exposing a glazed surface that configures access and bedrooms level, carving a terrace in search for light and inescapable mountain views.
Project. Space:
The spatial sequence go deep into the solid mass, digging the interior space in a vertical direction, expanding the cover up in order to expand the stays. The spatial volumes will go through disjointed linking stairs between different horizontal planes.
To progress from outside to inside, the distance between floor and cover will produce an elastic, active space, which has its own heartbeat. The pulse of this space will obey the logic of activity: thus the living room and the kitchen will be larger spaces, whereas, for example, the work area will be picking on himself, embraced by activities more private.
The material:
The construction system has to go according to the project method, so if we talk about carving, modeling the space, the material used possess these properties and characteristics that consolidate and reinforce the idea of the project, being the concrete for its expressive and sculptural qualities , the best ally to reveal the concept.
