fran silvestre arquitectos: house on the cliff

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fran silvestre arquitectos: house on the cliff

Nov 19, 2012

first image
'house on the cliff' by fran silvestre arquitectos, calpe, alicante, spain
image © diego opazo
all images courtesy of fran silvestre arquitectos

overlooking the mediterranean sea, the 'house on the cliff' is positioned upon an abrupt plot of land in calpe, alicante, spain. designed by
valencia-based fran silvestre arquitectos, the living spaces of the residence are spread over four floors to minimize adjustments to the topography.
respecting the natural contours, the structure is anchored by stone. the white lime stucco recalls the traditional architecture of the area.
continuing onto all planes including walls and paved surfaces, the dwelling becomes unified amidst a backdrop of rocky mountains.

set upon a platform on the lowest level, a swimming pool terrace opens to the dramatic ocean view. leading up from the pool deck,
an outdoor stair is attached to the monolithic concrete exterior allowing inhabitants to change levels while gazing towards the scenery.
before passing through a portal within the exterior wall, a landing allows for a moment of pause with a view. turning around the corner,
they continue their climb within a sheltered area beneath to highest storey of the home. the living room, dining, kitchen and bedrooms
are situated at the top level. panoramic vistas are offered from a veranda which runs the length of the upper floor plate. outside, the passageway leading
to the main entrance is carved within a space between the home and cliff enabling the craggy landscape to double as a backdrop to the kitchen.

aerial view
image © diego opazo

monolithic white form within the craggy landscape
image © diego opazo

view
image © diego opazo

mountain backdrop
image © diego opazo

facade overlooking the sea
image © diego opazo

balcony is cantilevered
images © diego opazo

stairway from living spaces to the lower swimming terrace
image © diego opazo

outdoor stair leads down to swimming terrace
image © diego opazo

seating area
image © diego opazo

pool deck
image © diego opazo

view from seating
image © diego opazo

stairs leading down from upper level living spaces
images © diego opazo

scenic view
image © diego opazo

living room
image © diego opazo

(left)sea view from kitchen
(right) cliff backdrop
images © diego opazo

kitchen
image © diego opazo

concealed kitchen components
image © diego opazo

sink with cliff background
image © diego opazo

bedrooms
image © diego opazo

pathway between residence and mountainside
image © diego opazo

entry pathway
image © diego opazo

driveway
image © diego opazo

illuminated stairway
image © diego opazo

at night
image © diego opazo

balcony
image © diego opazo

casa del acantilado | house on the cliff by fran silvestre arquitectos from fran silvestre arquitectos on vimeo.

model

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

floor plan / level 2

roof plan

section

elevation

sketch

project info:

project name: house on the cliff
architecture: fran silvestre arquitectos
project team: fran silvestre (principal in charge), maría josé sáez (principal in charge), maria masià (collaborator architect),
adrián mora (collaborator architect), jordi martínez (collaborator architect), josé v. miguel (collaborator architect)
structural engineer: david gallardo (upv)
building engineer: vicente ramos, esperanza corrales, javier delgado
interior design: alfaro hofmann
fotography: diego opazo
video: alfonso calza
marketing & communication: adrián mora (architect)
collaborators: fran ayala (arquitecto), ángel fito (arquitecto)
contractor: construcciones alabort
location: toix mascarat. calpe. alicante
site area: 962,84 m2
built area: 242,00 m2
cost (p.e.m.): 650.000 EUR

lauren db

11.19.12

fran silvestre arquitectos (2 articles)

interesting but i don’t like the landscape relation, more protagonisme without sense

cash says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
A great architectural. Thank you for sharing.

www.designcoholic.com says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
Less is more. More is less.
But
what is lacking is the thumb print of the person living there
inside
the art and craft which we feather our nests with
some pieces edgy and though provoking
some pieces soothing and beautifully tranquil
why not bring some Vermont art your way ?

Paedra says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
wow.

absolutely phenomenal

dbkii says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
please… no thumbprints, feathers, nests, macrame, or maple syrup

dbkii says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
Never understood why you need a pool when you´re next to the sea…

Q says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
Emotionally impoverished pristine pathology. A feeling of alienation, isolation and desolation are experienced. A day dream becomes a nightmare.

Kenneth Smythe says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
I Stunning photographs. Phenomenal site. Self conscious clinical space.

Sparky says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
With the ancient Greeks it was man against nature where white was a neutral interface. They were able to create a marvelous poetic and beautiful visual concerto. The Greek artists and architects had great clients. Today we are missing both with great frequency.

Kenneth Smythe says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
Stunning.

mArkW says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
Works for me. What a location.
I dig the cliffs. What’s the rock climbing like in the neighborhood?
Love the impoverished isolation and the pristine desolation.
You can’t have good dreams if all you have is nightmares.
I would like to add a slide down to the pool area except,
it would mess with this beautifully designed, well thought out, architecture.
Actually, there were fingerprints on the glasses down at the pool side table.
Here on Maui, anyone who lives next to the ocean does have a pool. Go figure.
Very well photographed. It would be nice to see the construction pictures.

Dan says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
I find it sad when a site is turned into a Neon Sign that mostly displays ego. There was one recently from Chile that was 10X more suited for the site. However, I do love the design.

JimCan says:

Nov 20, 2012

Reply
What a wasted opportunity to design something that would compliment the local landscape and still have visual impact. I will admit that I really do like the hidden elements in the kitchen. (You can only look at so many stainless steel stoves/ovens/cooktops…) Having them hidden was actually refreshing for me.

Nicholaus says:

Nov 21, 2012

Reply
Fantastico!

nelsonDReyes says:

Nov 21, 2012

Reply
A handsome and clever design totally lacking in humanity. Views up and down the coastline are far more interesting than staring out at the sea day after day after day. It could be converted into a trendy sushi bar.

Fred A. Saas, architect says:

Nov 24, 2012

Reply
Interesting comments
we all “feather” our nests to suit our personalities in different ways
as do we choose the structures in which we live
these are the many different ways we express ourselves… that we differentiate ourselves from others
strong statements of this can be made very quietly or very loudly
some become iconic…. some fade with time
this Vermont transgendered artist has no intention of fading )))))))

Paedra says:

Nov 24, 2012

Reply
yes, wunderschöne Architektur, kraftvoll und stark, wie ich es liebe! Gut gemacht, und erst noch zu einem super Preis.

René Düsel says:

Nov 26, 2012

Reply
Too much architecture. Not enough design.

Mort D'Urban says:

Nov 26, 2012

Reply
Stunning.
Pure Art in architecture. I found myself not caring what the inside looked like while I was viewing the artfully composed photographs of the exterior and its setting.
I am speechless (so to speak).
I have house envy.
Thanks!

Ron Smith says:

Nov 30, 2012

Reply
thumbs up for emotionally impoverished pristine pathology

dbkii says:

Jan 04, 2013

Reply

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fran silvestre arquitectos (2 articles)

fran silvestre arquitectos: house on the cliff

overlooking the sea on a steep site, the living spaces of this residence are spread over four levels, (read more)

fran silvestre arquitectos: eolica

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