Casa Atrio
This property is in a quiet residential area, surrounded by fields of carob and pine trees in the locality of Marratxí, close to Palma.
The plot is rectangular and has a practically flat topography, so these factors do not condition the shape of the house. The orientation is used as a starting point to define the L-shaped layout and to make the most of the hours of sunlight, as well as the link between the dwelling and the courtyard as the protagonist. The central part of the house faces south, while the service area, which is more enclosed, is to the north of the plot.
The access to the plot from the street is via a path that leads to a covered porch, marking the entrance to the house.
To the left of this, a large window allows us to intuit the movement of the swimming pool water crossing the living room. Next to the entrance is the living dining room, linked to the main porch through a large glazed opening that allows these two rooms to be perceived as a single space that, being covered, can be used at any time of the year.
This sense of visual continuity is emphasised by using the same indoor and outdoor flooring.
On the other side of the entrance is the kitchen, which is separated from the day area by a glass partition.
This space is linked to the exterior by a large window with views of a large olive tree that serves as a sieve and acts as a filter with the access area to the house from the street. The bedrooms of the different members of the family are staggered, with the main bedroom at the end of the corridor.
This staggering is transferred to the façade in the form of porches.
In addition to creating private spaces for each room, they frame the views of the pool area from the inside. At the same time, they produce a play of light and shadow that turns them into changing spaces throughout the day. At the back of the plot is a volume independent of the house, a space where one can isolate oneself without losing the connection with the rest of the housing complex.
The outdoor patio and swimming pool area, enclosed by both the free-standing volume and the house, is the element that unites all the spaces and brings unity to the whole.
At the same time, it generates the intimacy that a home requires and nods to the typical configuration of Mediterranean houses.
“It is a project that evokes simple single-storey living, combined with the sobriety of the materials and the serenity of the white prefabricated concrete walls”.