Nestled on the slopes of Montgó, this house is the result of an intense work to adapt the needs of the customer to a steeply sloping terrain. In this sense, the retaining walls are of great importance since they are built with exposed stone, being this material also used for the main façade. In this way, we blur the interior and exterior space, emphasizing the integration of the house into the environment.
With the aim of giving natural light to the whole house, a system of interior courtyards has been created. Thanks to them, the ground floor, on its northern slope, the one looking at the mountain, would have been naturally dark, but we have made it possible to receive light from outside.
Due to the unevenness of the terrain, access to the house is from the deck. All rooms are located on the first floor, while the day area and the main bedroom with a private terrace, are on the ground floor. Both inside and outside the house, three materials have been used: stone, wood and lime mortar with a cream-sand tone, shades applied in the whole project. Inside the house, wood takes more prominence while the pavement is natural stone.
In order to allow as much natural light as possible into the house, the living room, dining room and kitchen form an open-plan space that communicates with the exterior through large windows and with the interior, through a central courtyard with vegetation.
The exterior aesthetic is dominated by the unevenness. On one hand, by the decision of not using different materials, to achieve a game of volumes, lights and shadows. On the other hand, the division of the main terrace into several levels helping to create different atmospheres.
The house has been integrated into its environment, thanks to the effort put on the landscape design study. Because of that, we submerge the house to give it privacy but without losing the views thanks to the slope itself. We can see a clear preponderance of the Mediterranean vegetation: carob trees, mastic trees, coscojas, holm oaks, olive trees...
In relation to the pool, It is remarkable to note that we decided not raising the water level to the terrace but lower it, so it can be adapted more naturally to the slope of the ground.
In terms of sustainability, Casa Piscis has the highest rating, and not only for the use of active measures but specially for passive ones. That is, we deal with the problem from its root, studying good orientation, cross ventilation, adequate insulation, good materials which give us almost energy autonomy, etc.