Metal-clad home perched on steel supports above Barcelona coast

Local studios Jaime Prous Architects and Pineda & Monedero have completed Casa 144º, a corrugated metal-clad home near Barcelona that is raised above a steeply sloping site on skinny steel stilts.

Located in the county of Maresme east of Barcelona's centre, the home on a sloping site at the base of a forested mountain range was designed for a retired couple that desired an escape from the city.

Looking to minimise the impact on the landscape and avoid felling any trees, the studios designed the home to feel "almost temporary in its presence". They designed a single, elongated volume that was sunk into the hill at one end and raised on stilts at the other.

"Most neighbouring houses aim to occupy the maximum possible surface area, significantly transforming the landscape," the studios told Dezeen.

"In contrast, despite its distinctive appearance, our proposal seeks a respectful insertion, minimising modification of the topography and avoiding the felling of any of the surrounding pine trees," they continued.

"We wanted to approach the project in the spirit of the architects who developed the Case Study Houses in the hills of Los Angeles in the 1960s – using cantilevers, steel structures, and large expanses of glass- to propose a new way of living."

"The steep slope allowed the house to hover above the terrain, reinforcing its lightweight character while preserving the continuity of the landscape beneath it," they added.

Designed for aging-in-place, the majority of the home is on a single level, with a rectilinear form that bends at a 144 degree angle to orient the living room towards sea views, giving the project its name of Casa 144º.

This bright, open living space acts as the culmination of a more enclosed entry route at the home's western end, where a narrow corridor connects two south-facing bedrooms and a kitchen.

"Upon entering, two large windows allow the eye to pass through the living space and extend towards the sea in the distance," the architects told Dezeen.

"This sequence reinforces the idea of the house as a weightless, almost transient object within the landscape," they added.

Supporting the eastern end of the home is a slender galvanised steel structure that was stiffened with cross-bracing to elevate it above a steep drop in the landscape.

Atop this steelwork, the home was built from a balloon-framed timber structure, with the roof beams left exposed internally. These beams were complemented by white walls and floors and fittings in dark timber.

At the far western end of the home, a spiral staircase leads down to a small concrete-lined basement that was required for the home's foundations, and currently serves as a workshop space.

Elsewhere in Barcelona, Rául Sánchez Architects recently completed a home on a similarly sloping site, which was raised atop concrete columns and finished in a deep shade of burnt orange.

The photography is by Del Rio Bani.

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