The Paz & Comedias House was built on a scenic site in Valencia, Spain in 2010, and it was designed by Ramon Esteve. Spacious and welcoming, it boasts 9,536 square feet of living space and impresses with a beautiful red sandstone construction that allows it to blend with its surrounding environment. Facing east, the facade is dominated by a large balcony that can be accessed from the master bedroom. This balcony offers breathtaking views of the sea and enhances the flow of natural light throughout the most spectacular room in the house.
On the opposite end, to the west, the residence features a private courtyard that’s well suited for relaxation and socialization. The main design-related highlight inside Paz & Comedias is based on the exceptional connection between various spaces, not to mention the superb simplicity of the furnishings and decorations. As far as materials are concerned, the bathroom counters and the pavement are made out of Grey Ulldecona stone, while the external carpentry was put together using laminated iroko wood. The interior walls are crisp white for a touch of minimalism, as are the sofas, counters and wardrobes.
From the architect:
A mountain landscape, with big stone retaining walls, is the origin of the design of the layout of this house. Located in a housing state in Sagunto, Valencia, at the base of the Calderona Range, the Paz & Comedias House is fully integrated with its envi- ronment by reusing the red sandstone, extracted while opening the foundations, in the masonry walls.
Thus, the walls that arrange the spaces are parallels to each other and perpendicu- lar to the mountain slope. Together with the stone, this merges the house with the landscape.
Wide glass panes encloses the stone walls, allowing total transparency between the mountain and the valley and emphasising the massiveness of the walls.
Eastwards, the views become wider towards the sea. On this façade, the main element is the balcony of the main bedroom. A balcony that hangs really high, offering a great feeling of weightlessness and broad views of the landscape.
On the contrary, the western side of the house is limited by an intimate space, obtained by separating the house from the mountain. The stone walls work here as buttresses and create a courtyard that acts as a filter between the house and the landscape. This exterior space links the previous dwelling to its extension and becomes the lobby for the homeowner’s art gallery. Due to this, the most private parts of the house and its circulation are laid out in this zone.
Inside the house, the main feature is the fluid connection between spaces. The use of few materials and elements, such as the arrangement of the walls and the glass openings, contributes to a clear continuity between rooms. Grey Ulldecona stone is used for the pavement and also for the bathroom counters; the colour of the external carpentry made of laminated iroko wood tunes with the red sandstone walls; interior walls and furniture in white complete a quiet and fluid atmosphere.
Finally, a house where an exact use of colours and materials and a precise geometry are combined to form a great watchtower, subtly and austerely integrated into the landscape.
Architects: Ramon Esteve
Location: 46500 Sagunt, Valencia, España
Area: 886.0 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Jonathan Segade, Christoph Kicherer para Bul- thaup
Collaborator Architects: Paula Cabrera Mercedes Coves Anna Boscà Olga BadÃa
Building Engineer: Antonio Morales Emilio Pérez
Construction company: Inrem S.A.
Works manager: Francisco Ga Pellicer
