'sierra house' by steyn studio takes its name from its distinctive roof profile

steyn studio — the london based firm behind this sculptural chapel in south africa — has completed ‘sierra house’, a residential property in madrid. the dwelling takes its name from its distinct roof profile with ‘sierra’ meaning both ‘saw’ and ‘mountain range’ in spanish. the shape of the roof is a result of internal spatial requirements. ‘due to height restrictions, the roof slopes could not peak in the middle,’ explains the design team. ‘as it coincides with a bathroom below, we decided to invert the peak and use the space to hide the machinery and solar panels.’

all images by imagen subliminal (miguel de guzmán + rocío romero)

steyn studio says that prescriptive local planning rules and the narrow plot informed the outcome of ‘sierra house’. to increase the perceived internal scale of the house, the architects maximized ceiling heights throughout the home, while zones are defined with level changes, height changes, and screens. ‘the upper bedroom volumes are conceived as a house within a house, which in turn also contributed to the house’s distinct roof shape and its formal definitions overall,’ state the architects.

‘as a townhouse it claims its own space between exposed boarded concrete feature walls, cradling a monolithic ‘carved’ travertine block,’ steyn studio continues. these two contrasting yet complementary materials not only reference some of the materials found nearby, but are also representative of the home’s location — on the outskirts of madrid where the urban city meets nature. meanwhile, the interior of the house takes it cues from the exterior with a balanced, neutral, and warm palette applied throughout.

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project info:

start on site: 2016
completion: 2018
architects: steyn studio
technical architect: roberto rapino carmona, arnaiz
structure: elías martínez alegria, A6 ingenieria
installations: juan carlos fernández garcía, A6 ingenieria y salvador agramunt nogues, zetus
client: private/ confidential
year: 2018
gross floor area: 268 sqm
photography: imagen subliminal (miguel de guzmán + rocío romero)