The concept behind the Three Trees House was inspired by the context and construction tradition of the island of Ibiza. The white austerity of Ibiza's cubic architecture is an iconic feature of the region. Simultaneously, the decision to use white prisms on a masonry wall base seeks to establish a dialogue between contemporary architectural abstraction and the solid tradition of dry-stone construction, thus creating a fusion of the modern and traditional in the house's architecture.

With a distinctly longitudinal proportion on a virtually flat terrain and amidst the landscaped spaces of neighboring houses, the plot lacks long vistas to which it can turn. This condition determines the introverted character of the project, where the architecture must create its own interior landscape to which it can open.

Integrating outdoor spaces into the building volume is the most effective mechanism for shaping these transitional atmospheres. A continuous sequence of interior and exterior spaces organizes the distribution of the house, where the courtyards appear as a system capable of establishing the desired visual relations between the different parts of the functional program, ensuring appropriate levels of privacy.

The pure volume of the prism is cut, allowing the formation of courtyards and terraces at different heights and orientations, enriching the spatial experience with intersecting views and skewed perspectives of the open spaces. Influenced by Mediterranean culture, these protected outdoor spaces introduce the vegetal element into the interstitial areas, with the sculptural presence of three trees as contemplative pieces. With their unique imprint, the slender cypress, the gnarled olive tree, and the graceful willow characterize each of the courtyards, as well as the interior spaces that blend around them.

The bold structural approach is what adds dynamism to the architectural complex, with energetic volumetric gestures that elevate the built masses in flight. These suspended bodies configure the outdoor spaces, providing visual privacy and solar protection through controlled shadow casting. The outdoor space, open and uninterrupted, is thus virtually delineated by the strong embrace of the cantilevered courtyards.

The courtyards arranged at the ends open on the first floor but maintain the geometry of the main volume on the second floor, closed by a metallic lattice on jib walls that forms the perimeter delimiting the views of the house, centering them on the courtyards. Additionally, at the edges of the slab, steps and special connections formed by steel plates were used to reduce or conceal the visible edge, as in the case of the solid slab in the second-floor courtyard or through adjustments formed by steel plates, a solution used in the roof slab.

The house is organized with a clear differentiation of the functional program. On the first floor, open and airy, all the uses of the daytime zone are deployed in full harmony with the landscaped spaces of the courtyards. Thus, the living rooms, dining area, and kitchen coexist, with sliding glass surfaces, amidst the fragrant greenery of the garden, imbuing the atmosphere.

On the second floor, reserved and introspective, the nighttime area opens up to private terraces and enclosed courtyards that preserve the intimacy of the bedrooms. Completing the ensemble, a basement floor is allocated not only to the necessary utilities that give life to the residential spaces but also to flexible and versatile spaces intended for leisure and recreation. A place of relaxation embraced by the coolness emanating from the earth.

The materiality expresses the programmatic difference between the two levels of the house, with a lower floor, entirely open, dedicated to the development of the daytime zone amidst dry masonry walls, and an upper floor housing the nighttime zone among pure volumes that bear a stamp. The interplay between the rough texture of roughly hewn stone and the smooth white surfaces underscores the balance achieved between tradition and contemporaneity.

Project information

Name: Three Trees House (LA CASA DE LOS TRES ÁRBOLES)
Location : Santa Gertrudis, Ibiza. España / Spain
Project year : 2017
Construction period : 2018 - 2020
Built Area : 455,00m2
Terraces and swimming pool : 215,00m2
Plot Area : 700,00m2

Credits

Architect : Gallardo Llopis Arquitectos / Architects
Architects in charge : Carlos Gallardo Llopis, Javier Gallardo Llopis, José Luis Gallardo Blanquer
Architects : Fernando Usó, Paco Marco, Sergio Noverges, Alba Luengo, Noelia Marzo, Raúl Sol

Collaborators

Contractor : BFM Aedificatoria
Acoustics and thermal : Ana Llopis Reyna
Infographics : 3D Visual Effects
Structural Engineer : UPV | David Gallardo Llopis · Estructuras singulares
Technical Architect : Angel Portillo Murado
Photography : Germán Cabo
Filmmaker : Alfonso Calza
Furniture : Mobisa_Martinez Medina + Loft
Models on the photos : Amalia Lledó García

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