SARALEGUI | VILANOVA DE AROUSA

Saralegui

The Saralegui House is located on the seafront of the small town of Vilanova de Arousa. In a privileged plot with views over the cove of O Esteiro and the mouth of the Currás River.

Its location, in the fishermen’s neighborhood, was a determining factor when proposing an integrated solution that would respect the aesthetic and urban planning principles of its surroundings.

In order to adapt to these conditions, as well as to the geometry of the site and its peculiar corner location, we tried to interpret and recover the principles of popular architecture in terms of scale, composition and finishes.

The house is built on a stone plinth, made from large-format wild granite ashlars. The “a hueso” joint of its masonry and the natural cut of its finish give it a texture that contrasts with the purity of the lines of the upper volume.

The exterior carpentry is hidden so that the openings appear perfectly trimmed on the facade panels. Their projected shadow reminds us of the original frames of the vernacular constructions.

A lattice of aluminum strips covers the gables of the house. These lattices have a double function: aesthetic, because they provide texture and vibration to the facade; and functional, because they allow to hide the smaller openings.

In volumetric terms, the Saralegui House is made up of two pieces of different heights that are arranged on a corner. In this way, its volume is fragmented and the scale of the building is reduced, adapting to that of the surrounding houses.

As for the interior layout, the house is organized in three levels: on the first floor there is the garage and the service area; on the second floor, the day area and the master bedroom; and finally, on the second floor, the children’s bedrooms, a study and an outdoor terrace overlooking the sea.

The interior is characterized by its openness and brightness. White is the predominant color in the Saralegui house, and the wooden details of the furniture provide a touch of color and warmth to the whole.

To promote visual continuity between the different levels, the staircase was designed in metal structure with a wooden step, so that it was as transparent as possible. In this way, the light filtering through the window of the upper terrace descends to the first floor, flooding the entire house.

The lightness transmitted by the metal structure of the staircase, composed of 30×30 mm section bars, contrasts with the solidity of the staircase. The steps, made of solid oak wood, maintain continuity with the rest of the finishes of the house.