award - honorable mention - "UNBUILT HOUSING 2018"

a ‘home’ was the biggest aspiration from the client. but also a sense of simplicity and being part of the nature. the site is located on a sandy island, only accessed by boat, with strong fisherman tradition. It makes you want to feel the sand between your feet and the ocean’s salt on your skin!

the house needed to be comfortable for a single couple only, but also able to accommodate guests and parties. the circulation strategy allows for an adaptable use of the house while keeping the privacy of the guests staying in.

inspired by the local white ‘cubist’ traditional architecture, a cluster of five independent ‘beach cabanas’ - the bedrooms - were placed along the edges of the site boundary to maximize the available site area. connecting them, a roof plane provides shading and defines the kitchen, living and dinning space while providing an upper terrace, perfect for lounging for the sunset views to the sea and neighbouring islands.

the ‘cabanas’ are placed closer together facing the land approach to the house, clearly defining a protected private space to the owners, and more dispersed to the ocean side, offering ample views to seaside. with it’s large windows to the outside and the patio fully open, there is no real feeling of inside. When closed, the patio offers an intimate private external space, with access to the roof with 360º views as if on the deck of a boat.

each ‘cabana’ is a private suite with it’s own entrance directly from the surrounding landscape. These feature makes the exterior part of the house living experience. each has it’s own character, view experience and light. The surrounding landscape, sunrise and sunset set the glass-doors location that also work as windows. Natural ventilation and security is provided by the use of perforated metal shutters inspired by the fisherman nets, allowing interior light to leak out at night.

while most of the bedrooms are located at ground level, giving the feeling of being anchored on the beach, two of the five cabanas provide an extra bedroom at higher level – the boat-rooms - inspired in the scale, materials, and narrow access, typical of a boat bedroom, including a narrow window giving the feeling of being in the middle of the ocean looking at the sea afar.

the white walls with the white concrete floor gives a minimalist and “humble” look to the house and architecture, combining with the warm touch of the natural local pine wood on the boat roams, furniture and on the exterior decks.