Located in a remote valley in Spain’s Valencian Community, local architects Balzar Arquitectos forge a profound connection between the built and natural form.
Olive Grove House is located in Quesa, a quiet village in the Valencian hinterland, bordered by mountains, nature reserves, waterfalls and canals. The Barcelona-based owners were drawn to the town and its slow way of life after spending long summers here during childhood. Upon revisiting the town as adults, the pair’s affection for Quesa was rekindled, and they purchased one of the last olive groves available.
The terracotta-toned limewash mortar nods to the warm Mediterranean climate and surrounding red earth.
The home carefully maneuvers around the trees, while the long pool extends through the centre of the grove.
Curvilinear forms in the kitchen joinery subtly tie into the curved pool.
The low-lying, single-storey home is located on the outskirts of Quesa, on the last grove of olive trees along the periphery that could be built upon. These established centuries-old olive trees – arranged neatly in an eight-by-eight metre grid – informed the layout and geometry of the new build, a unique T-shaped architectural insertion between the rows of trees. The elongated pool runs right through the heart of the grove, while the house stretches along a horizontal axis, narrowly avoiding the trees.
The two-bedroom house is divided into three parts; a central open-plan kitchen, living and dining space and an adjoining pool terrace, flanked by the bedrooms with ensuites each overlooking an olive tree. No matter where you are in the home, you’re guaranteed a framed view of the olive trees, and as the sun slowly slips away behind the mountains, the trees cast spectacular shadows throughout each room.
Terracotta-toned limewash mortar lines the exterior of the building; a nod to the warm Mediterranean climate and reddish earth topography. Balzar Arquitectos specified red Iranian travertine throughout the interiors to maintain this ode to the rusty-coloured surrounds inside.
Iranian red travertine tiled clad the floors and walls in both ensuites.
No matter where you are in the home, you’re guaranteed a framed view of the olive trees.
The wide verandah serves as protection from the elements and a staging post between indoors and outdoors.
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