Stone, wood and glass? I love the architects that know how to combine minimalist characteristics with robust, heavy elements. It’s the case of the beautiful Mont-ràs Residence located in Girona, a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain.
The project resulted from a collaboration between Spanish architect Marta Garcia-Orte and Antonio Zamora, principal of Zamagni Zamora. The single family residence that borrows the name from its location displays only a the top volume from the street. Constructed to protect the inhabitant’s privacy, the Mont-ràs Residence is described by the architects: “The project’s goal was to achieve proper integration with the surrounding oak forest near a river and with the local social and cultural traditions.
The care taken with respect to the relationship with the neighboring buildings in terms of orientation and visual composition is expressed by a complex scheme for which, for example, approaching the house from the street level, only a small portion of it (top level) is visible. The main entrance is accessible via an outside staircase leading to the lower level, through a transitional space from which visitors can glimpse the space shared between the two bodies of the complex: the main volume and the sleeping area both standing behind a majestic Quercus suber (latin for cork oak).”
