Casa de la lluvia House

Description

The house sits atop the plot and offers commanding views over the unfolding valley below. The location and layout of the house offer uninterrupted views of the sea in the distance to the north and the village of Liérganes to the south. The house faces west, following the slope of the land and the views of the valley. The volumetric structure is characterised by its U-shape, with two advancing arms connected by an arch. The programme is developed on a single level. The bedrooms occupy one wing. The living room is located in the other wing and opens onto a patio garden as an outdoor space. This open space is bounded by the arms, the central arched area with the entrance and the kitchen, and a pergola that frames the view of the valley. From the access road, the two wings of the house stand out, rising above the sloping ground of the natural plot. The house is built on a single level, creating an artificial horizontal plane through excavation and embankment. The progression of the arms above this horizontal plane is an expression of the intervention in the slope, with its turn towards the valley.The house has a gabled roof on the arms and a pitched roof on the central part, which slopes inwards. The pergola that defines the garden and the inner courtyard is a striking feature of the house’s profile. The guttering is a particularly well-crafted feature that stands out from the rest of the house: its distinctive pattern makes this lightweight metal structure look like a separate, independent structure that sits on top of the house. The lines of the gutters accentuate the horizontal nature of the house and emphasise the forward movement of the arms into the plot. This subsidiary structure is a reference to the local environmental conditions. In a rainy region, the shape of the gutters suggests that the house is part of the natural flow of water, reflecting a typical natural phenomenon. The entire house is essentially built in three horizontal layers, each with its own distinctive material. The base layer is made of stone, the middle layer is made of glass, and the top layer is made of zinc. The combination of these materials in superimposed layers creates a clear sensory distinction that is both pleasing to the eye as a whole and in terms of its constructive aspects. Slit-shaped glazed panels run the full width of the house, making it appear to float. They also create an uninterrupted visual horizon that incorporates aspects of the landscape and views from outside the house. This feature is particularly striking when looking from one wing of the house to the other across the courtyard. Similarly, the walls are made up of vertical bands that serve different purposes, such as insulation, heating, darkening, storage and structure. The columns mark the edge of these complex walls on the floor plan.The main entrance to the house is on the central curved wall, on the convex surface, so to access it you have to go all the way around when approaching from the driveway. The door opens onto a blank wall, creating a sense of emptiness that contrasts with the richness of the view that appears when the door is opened. The gaze is drawn inside, through the door facing the entrance, and out into the valley, where the pergola frames the view. This axis structures the layout of the house and its relationship to the land.(Description provided by the architects)