extension refurbishment, port andratx, majorca
Perched on the steep hillside above Port Andratx, the property commands a rare, almost panoramic double-horizon: the calas of Marmassen and Pi, La Mola, the island of Sa Dragonera, the ridge of Mon Port, the harbour village of Port Andratx and the cultivated hinterland of Andratx. Here, the genius loci is not a single view, but a continuous sequence of views—an ever-changing, cinematic landscape that reads like a gigantic live stream of everyday life around the bay. The project begins with a clear premise: the existing building must be comprehensively renewed, structurally and technically brought up to contemporary standards, and carefully “dematerialised” through light, transparency and precision—without losing the grounded, Mediterranean calm that the site demands.
The existing villa had accumulated a heavy, castle-like expression over time: tower-like additions, massy wall segments and a defensive silhouette that turned away from the panorama it actually possessed. The design strategy therefore combined general refurbishment, full interior stripping, selective partial demolition and a consistent spatial reorganisation. The “fortress architecture” was dismantled: turrets and ornamental massing were removed, visual barriers cut back, and the building’s interface with the slope recalibrated. The result is conceived as a Mediterranean, light-filled hillside villa—not as an object placed on the terrain, but as a stepped architectural landscape that unlocks the maximum feasible sea panorama on every level.
Dematerialising the hillside villa
The core architectural move is to replace heaviness with layered permeability. Instead of thick perimeter walls and small openings, the project establishes generous, floor-to-ceiling apertures and long, horizontal sightlines. The villa becomes a sequence of terraces, platforms and shaded thresholds—spaces that read as “inside” and “outside” simultaneously, shaped by the sun, the wind and the view. The building’s silhouette is articulated through stepped, cantilevering flat roofs: a roofscape that extends beyond the glazed volumes, producing deep overhangs, reducing solar gain and framing the horizon like a series of carefully cut viewfinders.
Facing the sea, the façades are designed as continuous full-height glazing with large-format sliding elements. Living, dining and terrace zones merge into a single, flowing plane. The glazing is not treated as a neutral curtain, but as the primary panorama instrument: it dissolves the boundary between interior and landscape, turns the bay into the “fourth wall” of the rooms, and amplifies the experience of light throughout the day. When fully opened, the house behaves like a shaded belvedere—an elevated outdoor room hovering above the terrain.
Where the project becomes most specific is in the treatment of the lateral façades and the cladding of the floor slabs. These areas are conceived as a double-skin membrane façade—a perforated, flexible filter system that operates in two modes:
This envelope is not mere decoration; it is an environmental device, a privacy instrument and an architectural identity at once. It supports the ambition of a transparent house while acknowledging the reality of heat, sun angles, neighbouring sightlines and the need for comfort.
The outdoor realm is organised as a terraced topography, calibrating movement and occupation across the steep site. An infinity pool is placed as a horizon element, visually extending the waterline toward the bay. Stepped platforms and lounge zones are embedded into the terrain, producing a sequence of micro-places: shaded sitting areas, sun decks, outdoor dining pockets and quiet corners. Carefully planned greenery acts as an intimacy filter toward adjacent properties—softening boundaries, creating privacy without walls and reinforcing the Mediterranean character through planting and texture.
Crowning the project is a roof-top terrace and roofscape—a “Dachlandschaft” designed as an additional, wind-protected lookout above the terrain. Integrated features include an automated pivoting awning and a rotating flat screen, enabling the roof to function as an evening lounge and outdoor cinema without compromising the minimalist appearance during the day. The roof is understood as a living layer: a place for retreat, horizon-gazing and controlled intimacy—another chapter in the project’s central narrative of view and light.
A glazed lift connects all four storeys, ensuring barrier-reduced access and turning circulation into an experience of light and panorama. The drive-in double garage is conceived as part of the residential sequence rather than a separate technical appendix; through glazing, it establishes a visual relationship to the living areas—an unusual but deliberate gesture that supports the idea of openness and continuity.
Internally, the architecture is designed as open and fluid, with clear zoning and short circulation routes. A generous sea-oriented living area anchors the main level. The private program includes four bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom, while ancillary and technical spaces are precisely integrated into the hillside structure. The goal is a calm, legible plan—one that feels effortless to inhabit while being technically robust and carefully detailed.
The commission covered all work stages, including full project management, up to and including the final hand over after concluding.
— During the final tendering phase, however, the client decided to place execution in the hands of an external project management team, which promised a more economical realisation through its own pricing approach and contractor network. We subsequently withdrew from the project—also to safeguard professional responsibility for the design intent and its quality benchmarks. With sincere regret, we must note that the realised outcome later deviated substantially from the jointly defined quality and design objectives. In particular, proportion, detailing and material expression depart markedly from the intended architecture and, in our view, do not do justice to the project’s ambition nor to the client’s long-term interests.
project: 1416
size: confidential
plot: confidential
client: confidential
location: southwest coast caller del violi – port andratx, majorca
type: single private residence
team (building): jle
team (landscape): jle
responsible architect: jle
