ARK Architects: Located in one of the quietest and most sought-after areas of Sotogrande Costa is TIERRA. The sobriety of its large stone walls and the lightness of two lines of white eaves give it a certain spirit of tranquility and calm. As if the project itself wanted to move further away from the street, turning towards itself and in doing so, when we enter it, it gives us two magical gardens - one inside and one outside. Garden, the first of them, which makes up the patio that separates the house, in the manner of the traditional Andalusian patio-houses and their large “impluvium” of light. And the second, towards which the eyes of the house turn, a great natural backdrop reflected, next to the Mediterranean sky, in the slender sheet of water in the pool.
The Mediterranean Sea, the cradle of Western civilization, is today one of the most beautiful natural sites in Europe. It has an exceptional climate of eternal summers and mild winters, sun almost every day of the year and an almost infinite extension of soft sandy beaches and impressive coves. All this makes the coast that extends from the city of Malaga to Cadiz (passing through Marbella and Tarifa) one of the main poles of tourist attraction on the continent. Accompanied in addition to incredible golf courses, polo, marinas... as well as a rich gastronomy and endless leisure options. It is, without a doubt, a unique place to live.
Situated on the Costa del Sol in Andalusia, it occupies an area spanning from the Mediterranean Sea to the foothills of the Sierra Almenara. It is one of Europe’s leading sporting destinations for yachting, sail racing, water sports, tennis, international polo and has five championship golf courses with three of the best golf courses in Spain. Two lines draw this project, – broken while minimalist and sober – two lines parallel to the continuous and flat landscape. Two lines that shelter the shaded spaces to inhabit, and from which the garden that surrounds the project is contemplated.
Only two exceptions escape the absolute domain of the eaves of the project. At the entrance, as great milestones that mark the access, two forceful massifs clad in natural rock protect and guard us on our way inside the house. It will be once inside where once again the Mediterranean tradition merges with contemporary minimalism in a large atrium, like a covered patio, through which the light dig into the two guiding lines of the project. A patio that returns the garden to the interior of the house, a patio around which the different rooms on both floors are arranged: living rooms, dining room and kitchen, the six bedrooms, and even the private garage are directly or indirectly dedicated to relating to the patio at the same time that they open up to the views of the idyllic garden – or to the pool that reflects the lines of the eaves in its waters.
And finally, when we go deeper into the earth, the generous basement presents itself as a place of light. Well, through a second side patio, the recreational spaces of the house open up in search once again of the welcoming nature that accompanies the project, and that articulates the route through the office, cinema, wine cellar, gym and spa.
