Casa Athena | SWATT + PARTNERS

In the spring of 2014 we were asked to design a new home and two levels of an adjacent four-story apartment building on the top of a steep cliff in the Balearic Islands, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The site is narrow and relatively flat, bordered on the west side by the four-story apartment building, and on the east side by a heavily wooded agricultural preserve. The southern edge of the site is the top of the cliff, 22 meters wide, overlooking the ocean. A steep stone stairway, carved into the side of the hill, leads to a private beach 35 meters below.
Because of the linearity of the site, the garage structure and house have been separated, with parking located adjacent to the street on the north side of the property. A long open trellis structure runs parallel to the landscaped entry courtyard, terminating at the entrance to the home. The main house structure has been placed as far to the south as allowed by code, to ensure that the master suite on the upper level and the kitchen, dining and living spaces on the lower level enjoy magnificent, unobstructed views of the ocean and a beautiful nearby island. Connections to the outdoors are seamless, with a large stone terrace and swimming pool located on the south side of the house, perched above the ocean at the edge of the cliff.