May 8, 2025

Casa Periscopio by Luis Arredondo

Located in Montuïri, Spain, Casa Periscopio is a house designed by Luis Arredondo in 2024. The project was defined by the poor condition of the existing building, the low value of the plot, and the desire for views behind the neighbouring walls, emphasising light and vertical expansion as main concepts.

Compressed 5-Meter-Wide Plot Bound By Party Walls

The plot with 5 meters (16 feet) of frontage on the north side, including the existing stone walls. The slope of the land is 4 meters (13 feet) between the front of the plot and its rear. This plot is compressed between a 12m (39 feet) high party wall to the south and a 10m (32 feet) facade to the north.

House With Issues of Humidity, Ventilation and Illumination

The existing house consists in ground floor +1, with a storage room and terrace on the roof, is in poor condition, with problems of humidity, ventilation and illumination. An initial process of “archaeology” is carried out in which the stone walls and the facade are left uncovered to tell us about the different phases of growth of the original house. It was decided to maintain and enhance these elements, making the materiality of the house and its process and evolution the main element of the project.

Visual Diagonal Allows Direct Sunlight To Enter All Floors

The next step is the obsession with light, we proceed to demolish the floor slabs, creating a central volume in the house where the stairs are located and that connects all floors, creating a visual diagonal that allows direct sunlight to enter all floors. This space dedicated to light changes the proportions of the space, and gives the house a quality in cubic meters and crossed views that make it unique.

14-Meter-High clay Wall Complimented By Existing Stone Wall

The existing stone wall is extended with a new structural wall made of exposed thermo-clay blocks, creating a 14-meter (46 feet) high exposed wall that accompanies the entry of light and vertical movement.

Irregularity of Existing Slabs and Spiralling Stairs Give a Special Spatial Movement

On the second floor, we can appreciate the change of materials of the walls, going from stone to clay; the large volume emptied all the way to the ground floor, the irregularity of the existing slabs and the spiralling growth of the stairs give a special spatial movement to this area of visual communication.

The Room of Light Has Views Over the Neighbour’s Wall

On the top floor is the room of light, on the south side, looking over the courtyard, we have the neighbour’s wall covered with vegetation and the sun as protagonist, bathing the interior walls. On the north side, the non-existent wall, the views, the sunsets and the feeling of space. A living room facing outward, framed by the structural walls of the house, a wooden roof and polished concrete floor, simplicity of materials to emphasize the strength of this space.

Light and Views Are Present in Every Area of the House

The periscope house, a vertical expansion with spatial communication as basis and a simple materiality as a frame. The result is a unique house, where diagonal views are key and where light and views are present in every area.