El Viento residence has been designed by architects Otto Medem de la Torriente, perched on a steep slope in Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain. Inspiration for the interior and exterior spaces of the 9,030 (839 square meters) home came from the large blocks of natural marble emerging from the steep slope and breathtaking views over the mountains of Madrid.

The environment strengthens the architectural qualities, making nice emotions that we discover while we walk through the different areas. We created a very private access to the housing, with walls that shroud you and hide the environment from you. Therefore you will discover it gradually thanks to the big windows.

From indoors the openings put in a frame the wonderful views of the environment. As a result the views turn into daily elements in our lives. We created an architectural path to show the main facade, and going down by the gentle staircase we arrive to the main porch, from where we can go into the house.

This house has three floors. Crossing the main entrance we find the amazing hall. It is surprising due to its verticality. This is the most important area in the house, from where you gain access to the other ones. The daylight goes straight through the high windows to fill the main hall. These windows have narrow dimensions and are placed at 6.5 meters from high up. Furthermore they are strategically oriented towards two waterfalls that we can find in the eastern slope of the mountain.

That hall is the center of the house, the starting point to discover the architect and the environment, the place where all different areas are organized. Most of the activities we can do in the house take place in the living-room. It is based in a large block of natural marble that we found originally in the plot. We decided to leave it intact, and to convert it into a key element for the architecture.

From outdoors the living room gains more intensity thanks to the large block. It becomes a link between the living room and the swimming pool, with the best orientation for enjoying it. The lower level of the house is south-facing and it is adjusted to the slope. However the upper level, with western orientation, is floating over the lower ones. It seems to be based on the clouds. One of the more gratifying things in this project is to see how people are delighted with our architecture, it evokes feelings.

Photos: Otto Medem de la Torriente