The house began as a studio for an artist. Situated on a hillside overlooking La Ria de Ferrol, the project was meant to take advantage of picturesque views while providing an appropriate space for painting and displaying the artist’s work. In addition to the art space, the program was expanded to include accommodations for visiting family. The site is a heavily graded, narrow, south facing parcel with strenuous zoning restrictions. The footprint of the project evolved from these unique programmatic and physical requirements.

Responding to the dichotomous relationships contained in the program, the house developed as a series of dialogues between paired elements. However, as the central component, the studio acts as a container by which all other spaces are enclosed. On the exterior, an economy of materials was combined with consistent texture to heighten the simplicity of form. On the interior, spaces are open and bright, with circulation kept to a minimum.