house as a series of small boxes or pavilions.’
The second conundrum was the climate.
‘It’s quite cold – almost freezing – in this part
of the country in the early morning and
late at night,’ she explains, ‘so every volume
needed to make the most of morning and
evening sunlight.’
The scene was set for an architectural
puzzle. Tasked with creating the series
of carefully orientated blocks, Canales
and Rodríguez eventually settled on a very
old-school approach. ‘We couldn’t do it on
the computer. We tried with a simulation
program, but it was useless because every
tree had a diferent shape at diferent times
of the year,’ Canales explains. ‘So we did it
physically and set out the pavilions at full
scale on the ground using bits of wood. Every
time we went to the site we adapted the plan.
Some views we only discovered when we were
there – the angles were critical, as were the
connections between each volume and the
patios.’ The result is a residence comprising
nine pavilions, all arranged around a central
stone courtyard.
‘We have ended up with an exploded
house,’ Canales concludes, ‘with views out
to the landscape from within.’
Each structure was treated in exactly
the same way; concrete specially mixed with
a black pigment forms the external walls
and minimal inward-looking fenestration.
The overall efect is of stumbling across an
abandoned village or a long-lost ruin in
among the vegetation.
‘We wanted a natural feel,’ says Canales,
‘so that no one would know if the house
had been there for one year or ten years.’
The efect was enhanced by the use of low-
tech and readily available local materials;
the remoteness of the site meant that
everything had to be laboriously carried in
and made with local builders. ‘You’ll never »‘We have ended up
with an exploded
house, with views
out to the landscape’
ABOVE, THE MAIN DINING
ROOM, WITH ‘SWELL’
PENDANTS LIGHTS BY
PABLO, AND AN OAK-
CLAD CEILING DESIGNED
TO CONTRAST WITH
THE CONCRETE WALLS
AND GREY BASALTINA
STONE FLOORS
LEFT, THE DOUBLE
GUEST ROOM, WITH
STAIRS LEADING UP TO
A MEZZANINE LEVEL
AND TWO FURTHER BEDS142 ∑
In Residence