Building with nature

The residence “La Cerdanya” lies in the heart of the Pyrenees, bordering the small town of Das. From here, a far view extends towards the idyllic mountain panorama. A natural stone wall constitutes the “backbone” of the building. The loads of the slanted roof are supported here. The transition from access corridor to the lower level of the living room is accented by the roof windows, integrated immediately below the ridge beam.

 

Cold and snowy winters as well as hot and dry summers are characteristic of the natural landscape of Das in the Comarca Cerdanya, in the heart of the Pyrenees. Bordering the town with a population of 165, at an elevation of 1200 meters, is where the residence “La Cerdanya”, designed by Architect Gelpi Arroyo, is located.


A slanted roof with large eaves is typical for this region. This way of building, determined by the climate, was also utilised for this house – next to another important element: a dry masonry wall of natural stone constitutes the visual and functional “backbone”. It divides the residence into a building volume oriented towards the south and two differently sized auxiliary tracts with a shared interior courtyard, the patio, in the north.

 

The building is accessed alongside the wall: in the south, the “day zones” with a living and dining area with transparency towards the garden, kitchen and library. The two northern building volumes house the “night zones”, where the façades, also clad in slate to a large extent, remain closed, with the exception of a few ceiling-high openings with wood shutters. The parents’ suite with bedroom, dressing room and bathroom is located in the west, a guest room and two graciously sized children’s rooms with one bathroom each in the east.

Even if the areas for parents and children/guests are divided strictly, the interior courtyard adjoins both and is accessed and used by both. Thus, all inhabitants may profit from the spectacular view of the mountain panorama offered here.

 

One floor below, built into the landscape slope, are the service areas, such as garage, heating and storage as well as the apartment of the house servants. The sports room is quite narrow and has direct access to the swimming pool on the outside.

Slate and wood as choice of materials reflect the rough mountain climate. All the more astonishing is that one finds here a very light and open building. The continuous slate flooring, the light provided by the interior courtyard bordering the wall, as well as the equally distributed light from above enable a strong connection to the exterior. The roofing consists of slate as well. Slanted towards the exterior, it is visible as a slim edge from the patio.