Today’s bout of Architectural Inspiration takes a slight divergence from the usual cabin form, instead landing firmly in the territory of “holy heck take me there now, please.” Set into an exposed mountainside overlooking the Mediterranean in the coastal city of Calp, Spain, the Cliff House by Fran Sylvester Arquitectos was created with the intention of both stunning visitors and at the same time integrating seamlessly into the natural landscape.
The extremely steep site, combined with the owner’s interest in a single-story home, led the designers to create this exaggerated footprint dominated by cantilevered forms and abrupt angles. Three-dimensional, reinsured concrete slabs literally anchor the structure to the shallow site, minimizing earthwork and lessoning the project’s impact on the surrounding landscape.
White lime stucco, typical of the region, naturally keeps the home cool while defining the structure’s color palette too—everything from the gravel roof to the interior floors and walls follows suit and maintaining the monochromatic aesthetic. The swimming pool draws the sea closer while dramatic verandas invite the view and ocean air in, each designed to further encourage guests to connect with nature.
Architectural talk aside, this is an absolute stunner of a mountain slash beach house—one worth dreaming about on this stunted spring day.
