House, lift me up so I can see the sea

We are on the beachfront, but the Natural Park of the Camaleón de Chipiona only allows us to see the sea by climbing a high ladder.

Hence the main decision... to place the living room and the kitchen on the first floor, framing the Atlantic as if it were a Jiménez Aranda marina.

But there was a bigger challenge. The regulations only allowed us to build 108m2 on the ground and first floors. The investment became unfeasible. Such an expensive plot where barely a subsidized house could be built.

This is where Justo and I had to rely on our skills and a lot of imagination. We made the municipal architect see that the world we imagined was in accordance with the regulations. Thanks to that, we managed to make the perception of the spaces double what was apparently possible.

(Note: You should always try to involve the municipal officials in the project. If you clearly and passionately show your intentions, you will find their support.)

At the same time, we would take advantage of the permitted underground space to create a wide and luminous world that would rather seem like a ground floor.

Buried architecture, but not dark and narrow, rather luminous, spacious, and connected with the environment... a fascinating topic about which we could talk so much.