The project is located in a long and narrow plot facing west that slopes dramatically towards the Ría de Cubas river mouth, connected to the Bay of Santander. From an elevated standpoint that rises up to 40m. from the waterline, unexpected views to the Pedreña estuary, the bay, the ocean, the Picos de Europa mountain range and the city are unobstructed. Thus, and following the elongated shape of the plot, the house is organized as a single entity, stretched to function simultaneously as a lookout and as a protected enclave. Like a lying animal, the house’s head points to the views, with every living space facing west towards the sunset, the natural skyline and the sea. Meanwhile, its tail recoils to produce an enclosed pocket, facing south and sheltered from the westerly winds. This space (patio, garden or cloister), also acts as an open antechamber for the house itself, reaching the entrance under a long canopy which leads towards the plot’s highest level, where the house is placed.
Given the exposure of the site and the possibility of intensive wind and rain throughout the year, rain mixed with saltpetre from the sea and also weeds from the surrounding eucalyptus forests, the house’s overall shape is laid out aerodynamically, flat on its backbone, and its materiality is proposed as continuous and homogenic: a single concrete object that will welcome its own weathering and capacity for registering the effects of climate and sedimentation on its textured surfaces.
Project: Ria de Cubas House
Status: Under construction
Client: Private
Location: Somo, Santander, Spain
Team: Jacobo García-Germán, Miguel López, Raquel Díaz de la Campa, Marta Roldán, Paloma Mayor, Uma Fernández, Jaime Silva, Blanca Alabart, Lucrecia Ortiz
Consultants: José Manuel González (quantity surveyor), Roberto Revilla Estudio (structural engineers), Suma Ingeniería Aplicada S.L. (mechanicals)
