fran silvestre arquitectos celebrates spain's mediterranean horizon with 'house of the sun'

fran silvestre arquitectos envisions its ‘house of the sun’ as a celebration of the sweeping horizon of marbella, spain. overlooking the island and the mediterranean sea beyond, the house stands as a viewpoint, recalling the functional atmosphere of an astronomical observatory. the design team expresses formal influence from the gestural sculptures of andreu alfaro, whose linear compositions suggest a dynamic, radial movement.

all images courtesy of fran silvestre arquitectos

the design team at fran silvestre arquitectos presents its ‘house of the sun’ as a spatial composition, with reference to the concepts and geometries of 20th century spanish sculptors. recalling the work of artist eduardo chillida, namely his monumental installation ‘praise of the horizon,’ fran silvestre echoes the sweeping geometry which embraces and frames the natural landscape context as a centralized void space. the architect comments on this conceptual influence: ‘this idea of open centrality, as a representation of something immeasurable, has fascinated humanity forever and architecture has echoed this fascination countless times.’

the team at fran silvestre arquitectos embraces the sloping landscape with ‘house of the sun’ opening to the sky and the horizon. the space is at once protected from the gaze of others and the powerful winds of the area. the upper level rooms open outward so as to control the view toward specific elements of the island. the architect comments: ‘perhaps in this way we can live on a daily basis in this space that has always captivated us, a place where what is evident in nature is difficult or impossible to achieve.’

1/8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

title: house of the sun
location: marbella, spain

architecture: fran silvestre arquitectos

project team: fran silvestre (principal in charge), maría masià (principal in charge), estefanía soriano (principal in charge), sevak asatrián (principal in charge)
interior design: alfaro hofmann
collaborating architects: pablo camarasa, sandra insa, ricardo candela, vicente picó, rubén march, jose manuel arnao, rosa juanes, gemma aparicio, paz garcia-españa, ángel pérez, juan fernandez, javi hinojosa, pau ricós, andrea baldo, blanca larraz, carlos lucas, miguel massa, paloma feng, pablo larroulet, gino brollo, ángelo brollo, bruno mespulet, javi herrero
collaborating engineer: jorge puig
collaborating designer: alicia simón
financial manager: ana de pablo
marketing and communication: sara atienza