The Olive Houses

Up on an isolated redoubt of the Tramuntana mountains, The Olive Houses stand in the company of millenary olive trees and massive rock formations. The stone terrace walls and gentle trimming of the olive trees are the sole sign of human intervention in this beautiful example of Mallorquin landscape. 

In this project the site itself, which we didn’t want to alter, dictated what to do. The Pink House is built around a giant rock which is undoubtedly the main character in the space. Beside it, an open shower is installed fed by rain water collected and filtered on the roof and illuminated naturally with a skylight. A bed under the views of the valley on the opposite wall and a fireplace between the two giving warmth and keeping the space dry. The elements needed for a comfortable sleep feeling as close to nature as possible. 

The kitchen area and the restroom is built in an existing toolshed some meters away, the Purple House. To get to the new dutch door, you’ll have to walk past some big rock formations that force you to meander and turn before you can enter. As the space was narrow and small, the kitchen was build inside a cutout in the thick stone walls and closed with an outside opening frameless window. 

Both constructions are rendered in stucco-like material in a tone of pink and purple - complementary to the two tones of green found on the two sides of an olive leaf, one matte one glossy. 

The houses are powered only by solar panels and the water comes from the water spring on the plot.