'patio house' by nomo studio offers unobstructed sea views in menorca, spain

settling peacefully on a sloping site in menorca island, spain, the ‘patio house‘ by nomo studio is strategically designed to offer unobstructed sea, forest and garden views. the dwelling plays with solid and glazed walls that frame its natural surroundings, while hiding the massive hotel construction that acts as a visual obstacle for the site, and isolating itself from neighbouring buildings.

patio with swimming pool
all images courtesy of nomo studio

positioned on the top of a hill, the villa has access to remarkable views, but at the same time, it is also exposed to strong winds coming from the north. in order to deal with the issues of sun orientation, conflicting views and wind protection, the design by nomo studio introduces an isotropic geometry: a pentagon. the house is rotated so that all rooms can enjoy clear sea outlooks avoiding the hotel. a square was removed from the core of the pentagon to allow more daylight to enter into the house, and create interesting visual connections. this void became a south-oriented patio protected from the strong northern wind.

central patio

three of the patio’s sides are covered by large sliding glass doors that create a connection, both visual and physical, between the opposite zones of the garden, making it possible to gaze at the sea through the ground floor. the fourth wall of the patio is removed, forming a north-south axis of outdoor interlinked spaces: terrace – dining – patio – swimming-pool area. two sliding windows enclose the indoor/outdoor dining space, and allow flexible control of natural ventilation and wind protection. from autumn to spring the patio captures the heat of the sun, resulting in a warm and inviting space, while in the summer the same place can be covered and turned into a large porch with a soft breeze thanks to efficient cross ventilation.

the facade finishings draw reference from local fisherman architecture with whitewashed walls and navy blue or deep green shutters. nonetheless, the large scale of our aluminium sliders in pastel turquoise colour gives the composition a clear contemporary character. the deployé shutters block the sun during daytime and secure the house when it is closed for the season. the grainy plaster of the outer walls creates an interesting contrast with the inclined frames around the large windows, were a smooth treatment enhances the sharp edges of its leaning roofs. the backside of the house has a completely different language where smaller squared windows, flush with the outer facade, remind of a more domestic scale.

view inside the patio

indoors, a combination of light colours and high ceilings with changing inclinations reflect and magnify the abundant daylight that comes through the generous windows. large sliding glazings and continuous white marble floors dilute the limits between interior and exterior spaces. the use of the same local marble throughout the house, including the cladding of bathroom, kitchen walls and stairs, give the house a fresh look. only few elements, such as the pool, the stair railing or the kitchen furniture, break the all-white tones by introducing small turquoise details that link back to the shutters outside.

highly insulated walls and a thought-through natural cross-ventilation scheme ensure the energy-free functioning of the building all year round. the perforated sliding shutters regulate the solar gains throughout the seasons and daytime hours, drastically reducing winter heating and summer cooling needs. heating, cooling and warm water are generated by an energy-efficient heat exchanger and distributed AC units allow the different rooms to have independent temperatures.

terrace

marble staircase

kitchen

bathroom

project info:

name: patio house
architecture office: nomo studio
project team: alicia casals, karl johan nyqvist, noelia de la red, noelia de la red, mario garcía, marina miró, jordi sarda, maria andonova
location: minorca island, spain

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