5 Gems is a project consisting of five villas in Marbella, each of which is about 350 square meters in size. The houses are located on the characteristic slopes of the area. The villas, which face the sea, open up to the views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Santa Maria Golf Club which is situated nearby.

 

Cristina Araujo, one of the architects who works on the project, explains some ideas about these five homes.

Nature surrounds the villas on the terrace level. The houses are bathed in natural light. It is all about walking at different levels over the view of the sea.

 

What elements or ideas have you worked with to conceive this project?

5 Gems is a project largely determined by the topography. The characteristics of the plot on which the houses will be built are very unique. The slopes are very steep, to the point that the houses had to be designed by integrating the slopes themselves. During the conception of the project we worked a lot on the contour lines, transforming them into terraces that surround the villas. In this way, we turned this constraint into a benefit for the houses. These terraces create intimacy. 

 

What are the differences between the five houses?

Each villa seeks to create its particular terracing on the land. The groundfloor volume merges with the topography, and an abstract white prism on the first floor turns towards the sea framing the views. We designed the houses to face the sea and take advantage of the sun.

In 5 Gems, we turned a constraint —a difficult topography— into a positive quality for the houses.

 

What emotions do these houses seek to provoke?

Freedom, calm and tranquillity. Nature surrounds the villas at the terrace’s level. Also, the houses are bathed in natural light. It is all about walking at different levels over the view of the sea.

 

What typical elements of AGi architects’ work appear in this project?

The study of the context and the plot, of the sun and the winds… and the adaptation to the natural environment are the starting points of the project, in this case as in other works of the studio. This work with context makes the design dialogue with place. It reflects the sea and sunlight.