Spanish architect Joaquin Alvado Banon has recently realized the ‘Garden House‘, a project that research the relation between nature and architecture. It is a rethinking, in a sustainable way of life, to transform the way of promoting the east side of Spain. The ground floor occupies the entire plot. The vertical elements of the structure merge with the tree trunks. Glass separates the interior from the exterior, limestone paving entering and leaving. An uncertain relationship is established between what is happening inside and outside, between the edges. Radiant floor heating makes this design condition comfortable.
The design establishes the natural/artificial relationship at every level. The distribution of the house descends to level 0 while the garden climbs to the upper storeys. The aim of this condition was that the blend of architecture and landscape should be present in every sphere of the project. Walk on earth and damp grass at every level of the house, breathe in its Mediterranean nature. Three generations in one place led to suggesting three life options. The ground floor is a shared environment but the upper storeys, dismembered by their entrances, allow more privacy. The idea sprang from seeing three ways to live in the same surroundings, three objects related to a single context. Private and public are part of the dwelling brief and as such are included as a working condition.
