The interplay of straight lines and curves defines the design of a single family house in Madrid, designed by Spanish architecture practice Fran Silvestre Arquitectos.

Villa 18 is a new residence inspired by the work of Spanish sculptor Andreu Alfaro. 

The building has diagonal views of a lake that is part of Madrid's La Moraleja golf club. A house that largely develops on one story was suggested because of the space's availability. 

The daylight space is divided into two volumes of varying heights that move relative to one another, forming a covered terrace facing southeast toward the landscape. 

The main body is nearly one and a half stories high. The nighttime area is housed in a third structure that is arranged to provide a more secluded outdoor space.

The entrance experience is given a unique character by the way the three constructed volumes interact to create an entrance courtyard that faces north. 

Because of the geometry's structural purpose, unsupported vistas of the countryside are possible. In this manner, areas might continue to be flexible for future users and uses.

In this project, we were challenged to find a very particular and wide range of whites with warm undertones, just as linguists have found that the Inuit and other Arctic peoples have more than forty terms to describe snow, stated Fran Silvestre Arquitectos.

These hues cover everything from the natural stone of Colmenar to the ash wood found in Madrid's woodlands, several brass varieties with hues near 9016, and lighting temperatures that lean toward 2,700K. 

The goal was to accomplish an integrated heterogeneity that would probably contribute to the tranquility of these home environments.

A skylight illuminates the areas on the bottom floor that are devoted to physical well-being, such as the gym, swimming pool, and other complimentary applications. 

The rounded edges on each volume create a dynamic visual reading. In order to facilitate construction and maintain the orthogonality of all internal spaces, these curved pieces are positioned in the open terrace areas.

"We have always been fascinated by this strategy in the work of Andreu Alfaro. In some of his pieces, the relationship between the straight line and the curve creates a continuous knot, where the eye appears to flow seamlessly from one element to another," said the firm. 

"As Maderuelo would say, we sought to "capture" this spatial quality from Alfaro’s sculptures."

With the swimming pool flowing into the terrace, which then blends in with the built-volume façade, the major portion of the house forms a kind of continuous journey that ends back at the pool. This method emphasizes one of the home's numerous purposes, which is to be appreciated through observation. 

Situation plan

Ground floor plan

Basement floor plan

Section

Previously, Fran Silvestre Arquitectos designed a house in front of the Sotogrande golf course in Spain. In addition, the firm completed a villa that takes references from the ancient Greeks, Etruscans and Romans' domus - known as a type of town house occupied by the upper classes or wealthy people. 

Project facts

Project name: Villa 18

Architects: Fran Silvestre Arquitectos

Project team: Fran Silvestre, María Masià, Estefanía Soriano, Carlos Lucas

Location: La Moraleja, Madrid

Construction completion: 2022 - 2024

Built area: 1015m2

Plot area: 2764 m2

Interior design: Alfaro Hofmann

Developer: 37 THREESEVEN

Technical architect: José Miguel Cota San Andrés, Jorge Carrión Ponce 

Structural engineer: Estructuras Singulares

General contractor: Project Work

All images © Fernando Guerra/FG+SG Architectural Photography.

All drawings © Fran Silvestre Arquitectos.

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