Beach House | Habitan Architecture

We found ourselves with a plot in the Alt Empordà, a wetland area with the strong presence of the walled village of Sant Martí d’Empuries. The landscape is flat with abundant undergrowth, while groups of cypresses give it verticality.
The day area of the house is a white platform placed on the wetlands, which rotates upward to become covered. Three boxes positioned on the platform open or close in order to connect the pool and the exterior space with the interior. By day, the enclosures are concealed within these boxes, disappearing so that the interior and exterior spaces are confused. The sleeping area, however, is a compact and introverted space.
The architecture (the courtyards, enclosures, and metallic skin) stems from the house’s relationship with the climate and the environment. The objective was to protect against the strong Tramontana winds and avoid artificial air conditioning in the warmer months. The deployé sheet metal of the fixed and mobile enclosures is, at the same time, a sunscreen, a filter for light, and a curtain that ensures privacy.