nomo studio designs mediterranean summer house featuring 28m catwalk

nicknamed ‘the catwalk’, a 28m long platform cuts through nomo studio’s privately designed home creating a functional exterior living space. situated in coves noves, the northeastern part of minorca island, spain, the project’s unparalleled hilltop site has unobstructed views to both the mediterranean sea, and to monte toro, the tallest mountain in the island. the catwalk, serving as the house’s spine, also provides ample views to both sides of the site as well as becoming the central circulation path.

all images courtesy of nomo studio

conceived as a summer house for an outdoor-friendly local climate, the designers wanted to connect both the sea and mountain views with a bold space functional as an exterior living area. the catwalk hosts the most important common areas in the house, the living and dining rooms, which can be completely closed from the wind by using sliding windows on both sides. it is also a main circulation space as it reaches the various rooms in the house without losing the two main views. the column free catwalk is achieved by using two 1.2m high steel vierendeel beams embedded in concrete allowing the hovering raised ceiling to cantilever out to the natural terrain slope.

garage and void that crosses under the house to avoid blocking the views

the project houses five bedrooms, a garage and a pool, organized on a pixelated 3x3m grid. each unit contains services or bedrooms, some of them with balconies and others with access to the garden. the catwalk splits right through the middle of the unit grid, dividing the areas that host the day program from the night activities. breaking down the program into the pixel units makes the house naturally integrate with its surrounding landscape. without prioritizing one view over the other, nomo studio successfully designs an open summer house that can be used year round.

clustered service pixels

the house boasts a raised ceiling, cantilevering out five meters

sliding windows close the catwalk to create interior funtional space

pixel exteriors provide outdoor platforms

the void parallel to the catwalk

sloping site integrated into the house

unobstructed catwalk views

entrance through the back

entrance pixel

land plot of 2600 sqm atop a slope

project list:

project category: single family house

type: commission

client: private

collaborators: laura guitart matas, juan mora sa, gaimo sl,

size: 312 m2

location: minorca, spain

architectural design firm: nomo studio

partner-in-charge: alicia casals

project leader: alicia casals

team: karl johan nyqvist, laura guitart, noelia de la red, mario garcía, marina miró, mira botseva, jennifer méndez photography: adrià goula

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: cristina gomez | designboom