nomo studio lifts white polyhedral volumes above spanish landscape

nomo studio has designed the ‘bridge house‘ on a large plot situated on the north-east coast of spanish island, minorca. the project design is based on the assembly of squared and pentagonal plans, with some volumes hovering over the existing landscape, creating a bridge-like composition. the generous plot allows the dwelling to stretch horizontally and capture the best surrounding landscape views. at the same time, its rotating volumes create surprising interior and exterior spaces.

closed facade
all images by adriâ goulá

this residence by nomo studio, is primarily used as a holiday house, where one spends most of the time outdoors enjoying the warm weather. therefore, the large porch of almost 100sqm, located under the hovering volumes, was conceived as the heart of the house, where social gatherings can take place. a second porch on the first floor, connected to the kitchen, is meant for a more casual daily use. both of the porches are open to sea and mountain views. in general, the outer terraces and the pool are designed as a direct extension of the indoor plan, following the same geometry and keeping the plot mostly untouched.

porch under the house

the program consists of a living and dining space and 5 bedrooms, one of which is located separately as a guest house. common rooms are visually independent, though completely interconnected through open thresholds. the master bedroom on the first floor is linked to the living room and kitchen, whereas all other bedrooms are placed on the ground floor in direct connection to the garden and the pool. the bathrooms have been designed to be open and bright, with large windows. in addition to the main building, a detached volume houses a garage, a laundry-room with a patio and a large storage and installation room.

kitchen porch

the all-white facade of the building responds to minorca’s historical tradition of white-washed walls and pitch-roofs in a continuous white veil. following this local custom, the designers chose a white plastered finishing for walls, roofs and soffits. the house exterior is wrapped by an outer skin of white aluminium perforated sliding shutters, protecting the interior from direct solar radiation, while providing privacy and security. the landscape elements, such as the retaining walls, stairs and terraces were kept in exposed concrete to avoid blending into the white polyhedrons. 

kitchen

in contrast to the all-white abstract appearance of the facade, the choice of materials for the interior was purposely rather varied. roof ceilings were painted in pastel green, while light birch wood was used in wardrobes, deep thresholds and kitchen closets. the pavement is an in-situ casted rough terrazzo, made with no resin additives, by only polishing a standard concrete until the grain is exposed. white marble was used for bathroom and kitchen countertops and white tiles with green joints for the shower walls. only indirect light is used all around the house, except for the bathrooms, with hidden led stripes brightening up the inclined ceiling and highlighting the height of the rooms. 

entrance

the bridge

the lounge area

intersecting volumes

entrance and garage

entrance

sea view

bridge house by night

project info:

name: bridge house
location: minorca, spain
architects: nomo studio
project leader: alicia casals
team: karl johan nyqvist, laura guitart noelia de la red, mario garcía, marina miró, jordi sarda, maria andanova
collaborators: BIS structures, juan mora SA
area: 360 m2   

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: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom