Sunken Spaces—and Some Sharp Edges—Reorganize This ’70s Spanish Home

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Bizkaia, Spain

Architect: Garmendia Cordero Arquitectos / @garmendiacorderoarquitectos

Footprint: 3,352 square feet

Builder: Azkayo

Lighting Design: Tao Studio

Furniture: Galea Home

Photographer: José Hevia

From the Architect: "The commission was to renovate and redesign a single-family home built in the 1970s on the coast of Bizkaia, Spain, near the Cantabrian Sea. The project was carried out under the supervision of the brilliant architect Secundino Zuazo. While most of the houses in the neighborhood have an L-shaped floor plan that opens up toward the sea, this house takes the opposite approach. Instead, it takes advantage of the southern light while protecting the house from the strong northern winds that blow in from the coast. Furthermore, while all the houses maintain the height of their roof ridge, turning 90 degrees in line with the floor plan, in this case the slope is maintained with the same roof edge extending to protect the entire floor plan.

"We decided to rotate the main axes of the new dwelling in response to the new layout. The original dwelling was more compartmentalized and, in part, the result of locating the different uses in the two rectangles that made up the building’s floor plan. The proposal, with much more open, generous, and flexible spaces, did away with this division. The new axis, created by joining the four corners of the existing roofs, allowed this new way of settling within the perimeter walls to be visible.

"An intertwined space was proposed where changes in level would configure the different rooms and thus generate sequences of possible processes: from the kitchen to the dining room, from the dining room to the living area through the study to the ‘enclosed porch’ before the covered outdoor area and, finally, to the garden. The existing staircase, sensual and slender, serves as a link between this large space and the bedroom area, while also connecting to the lower floor, which is intended for the enjoyment of two young people, as well as accommodating other uses such as a gym, laundry room, and garage. Thanks to its permeability, this new layout allows the interior to be completely linked to the green exterior space, strengthening the connection between interior and exterior."