La Moraleja Villa

Madrid, Spain

2019 American Architecture Award 2018 International Architecture Award 2017 AIA|LA Residential Architecture Award 2017 AIA|CC Residential Architecture Award 2017 American Architecture Prize

This family residence for an art collector is located on a relatively flat, 2-acre park-like property characterized by hundreds of evenly spaced small oak trees.  The area is tremendously arid and hot in summer, an environmental condition that led to a design that uses both the building orientation on the site and cantilevered masses protect the glass areas of the house.

The house is organized on the site as a series of open and closed volumes with spaces between that become entry points, transitions and covered outdoor living spaces.  The entry is under a projecting porte cochere and leads to a glass enclosed 2 story atrium which frame specific art works from the owners’ collection.  A gallery leads one to the main living/ dining space, a indoor-outdoor double height space that opens completely to the pool courtyard and terrace to the South and to views over the park-like ground to the North. Offices, guest suites and services anchor this grand open space to the East. The family/ media room, kitchen and covered outdoor dining area frame the space to the West, also protecting the living/entertaining areas from the low Western sun.  A generous master suite and family bedrooms comprise the upper floor.  A ten car garage, services and staff rooms complete the subterranean basement level.

Photography by Imagen Subliminal (Miguel de Guzman + Rocio Romero)