langarita-navarro crowns casa PS-50 in spain with zigzagging roof

a zigzag concrete roof pattern defines Casa PS-50 in tarifa, spain

Sited in Tarifa, Spain, along the Atlantic Ocean, Casa PS-50 breaks out of its thick, rugged coastal surroundings as a self-imposed yet seemingly integrated concrete residence. Local studio Langarita-Navarro Arquitectos completed the project with a desire to invoke the unexpected behaviors of bodies and matters. Materializing that vision is an expansive roof volume that takes on the shape of a large section of the terrain, elevated onto a concrete slab that supports the weight of an intensive green roof, restoring the pre-existing vegetation. The roof’s characteristic zigzag design allows it to cover long spans and reduce its weight, conveying a sense of near-impossible lightness, almost like a fabric blowing in the wind.

all images © Luis Díaz Díaz

langarita-navarro embeds parallel walls & cascading terraces

Layout-side, the team at Langarita-Navarro Arquitectos opted for a series of parallel walls to organize the Casa PS-50 plan, lightly touching the roof from below. Beyond organizing the residential program and daily uses, these wall placements help manage the changing and assaulting easterly and westerly Atlantic winds. ‘By opening and closing the floor-to-ceiling glass panes as needed, it is possible to deploy a configuration to expose or defend the spaces from each prevailing wind, using them as if one were on a boat,’ writes the studio.

The main volume of the concrete house is elevated, embedded into the rugged and thick terrain, overlooking the Atlantic like the bow of a ship, leaning on a granite well carved into a prism. From here, a cascade of terraces and steps unfold outward, providing access to the swimming pool and the grounds. The access is situated in a private courtyard open to the seascape, where one goes up a generous spiral staircase around a lush garden sheltered from the wind.

a large roof boasting a zigzag pattern

material & plant palettes meshing with the coastal nature

As for the material palette defining Casa PS-50 by Langarita-Navarro Arquitectos — the team opted for a composition of lime stucco walls, horizontal concrete surfaces, reflective steel, and dark window and door frames. By meshing these elements, the residential becomes almost impossible to spot from the coast, as it sits hunkered down among the vegetation, mimicking the colors of the natural surroundings where shrubbery and chalky rocks emerge.

Langarita-Navarro joined forces with Landscape Architecture studio Ambienta to create a main vegetation body that reflects Casa PS-50’s coastal nature. A selection of native species with low water needs disperse across the plot’s free spaces and over the rooftop, with the medium term aim of returning the image of the landscape prior to construction, as well as reducing the thermal load of the house by making the most of evapotranspiration.

Casa PS-50 faces the Atlantic Ocean