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Architects: Flow 81 Architecture Lab. SLP.
Design Team: Ignacio Merino, Gonzalo Merino, and Lourdes Arregui
General Contractor: Muñoz Lanzas Construccion
Client: Oerum Gad Real Estate S.L.
Photographers: Fernando Alda

We start from a steep plot of land in Benahavís, with steep slopes of more than 30% and double curvature. The slope favours the north orientation without sea views, and we find dozens of large cork oaks that condition us, with a very unique fauna and an abundance of wild boars.

The owners, a young couple with children, were sure of wanting a ‘country house' and a large space integrated into the house where the children could play. They were fond of the vegetation on the plot, so it was important to respect it as much as possible.

With these premises we started from the premise of not altering the fauna and flora of the plot, so the foundations should be as non-invasive as possible. We decided to support ourselves on two points, and using the simile of a tree, to rise from ‘those roots' to elevate ourselves above the plot without attacking it. This gave us a semi-buried platform on the ground floor at the back and a flying platform on the south side facing the views. The level of insertion of this 600m2 platform gave us this permeable play. In the part of the platform that overhangs, the children's play area emerged, as they are like in a house in the countryside but cantilevered.

In this tree-type structural system, the large trusses overhang and generate courtyards through which the existing trees on the plot grow.

All these elements generate a rich visual by linking all the points of the house with the open terrace and the interior patios. The key point that anchors the whole house is the double height entrance from where you can see all the spaces of the house on the ground floor, first floor and basement.

On the first floor are the private rooms, all oriented to the sea and nature views, dotted by the tops of the trees that grow through the courtyards. These patios generate connections from the basement to the roof.

In the basement, where we locate the work areas, gym and facilities, we have the plot very present since we let it enter inside the house forming part of it: we use large windows, from floor to ceilin, so we get wide views towards the vegetation landscape.

With this system, we achieved our objectives: not attacking the plot, satisfying the owners' programme and gaining views.