VILLA SLOW - San Roque de Riomiera, Spain
VILLA SLOW - San Roque de Riomiera, Spain
DESCRIPTION
“Villa Slow is a holiday retreat in the Natural Park of Valles Pasiegos, in the North of Spain emerging from a stone-ruin within a more than two-hectare terrain of natural landscape. The new home typology is based on a traditional construction of the area called ‘cabaña pasiega’ (peasant cabin) but with a contemporary twist. The strategic location of the construction on top of a little hill facing south, grants impressive views towards the valley and from the mountain.
The scheme of the house is simple. Two big panoramic windows in the living room facing opposite directions create a beautiful scenography of mountains, clouds, and trees. These two openings allow one to enjoy the impressive views towards the valley and mountains from the spacious living room in the center of the house. Two bedrooms are situated next to the living area, on the eastern wing, in the most private side, both with their own bathroom and openings to the infinite landscape. They receive beautiful light in the morning. Thanks to their generous height, a mezzanine on top of the bathroom core, allows for additional sleeping arrangements: just a couple, couple with children, friends, etc.
Villa Slow is designed and built with extreme mindfulness and care for detail. The house is very respectful to the environment in aesthetic and technical terms. Villa Slow is a passive house thanks to a heat pump, under floor heating and high quality insulation and windows for a minimum heat loss. The high performance glass warms up the interior in the winter and the big wooden shutters protect from heat gain during summer. All materials used to build Villa Slow were reused from the old stone shed or come from the area of Cantabria.
The rough exterior stone-walls and roofs contrast with the delicate interior wooden structure and details. Villa Slow is a house of subtle contrasts: rough-delicate, open-closed, wood-grey, interior-exterior, traditional-modern.
Laura Alvarez architecture tries to find balanced solutions in materialization. In this project, wood elements give a warm feeling, whereas white helps understanding the building envelope. A combination of classic sitting furniture and minimalist elements create a very calm space from which enjoying the outstanding natural setting.” Laura Alvarez Architecture
WHAT WE LOVE
The materials. Basic and from the earth: stone, wood and plaster. All the materials used to build Villa Slow were reused from an old stone shed or come from the local area.
The subtle contrasts. Described by the architect as “rough-delicate, open-closed, wood-grey, interior-exterior, and traditional-modern”. Nicely done.
The views! We want to sit by the fire and watch clouds roll past the mountains and through the valley. This is a place to completely unwind.
The location. Immersed in a nature park and just a short 1.5-hr drive to Bilbao? Fantastic.
AREA ACTIVITIES
AWARDS + PRESS
ArchDaily Building of the Year nomination, 2018
Laura Alvarez Architecture (LAA) is a young international architectural practice based in Amsterdam. After extensive work experience at renowned architectural offices such as Mecanoo, SeARCH, Benthem Crouwel and Carlos Ferrater, the company was founded in 2008 by Laura Alvarez. As recognition of her work, she has won a considerable amount of awards, among others the Europe 40 under 40 award, First Prize Europan 13 Santo Tirso, First Prize New Faculty Bouwkunde in Delft and First prize Life-Cycle homes in Groningen.
