0 00:00:10,005 --> 00:00:13,325 [Piers] It’s time, Caroline,
to go and see how the other half live. 1 00:00:13,405 --> 00:00:15,405 [Caroline]
Talk about welcome to my humble abode! 2 00:00:15,485 --> 00:00:19,485 Cor, that is a whole lot of house! 3 00:00:21,925 --> 00:00:25,365 [Caroline] He's Piers Taylor,
an award-winning architect. 4 00:00:25,685 --> 00:00:29,085 I mean, the depth of this wall,
it’s four foot thick. 5 00:00:29,645 --> 00:00:31,005 After you, my Lord. 6 00:00:31,365 --> 00:00:32,805 [Piers] And she’s Caroline Quentin, 7 00:00:33,365 --> 00:00:36,125 acclaimed actress
and passionate property developer. 8 00:00:36,645 --> 00:00:42,165 This house has the perfect ratio
of bedrooms to swimming pools. 9 00:00:42,245 --> 00:00:44,165 [Caroline]
We’ve been given the keys to some 10 00:00:44,245 --> 00:00:46,045 of the most incredible houses 11 00:00:46,125 --> 00:00:47,165 in the world. 12 00:00:47,525 --> 00:00:50,525 If we were left alone here
for any amount of time, I have a feeling-- 13 00:00:50,605 --> 00:00:52,445 -We would ruin this house.
-[laughs] 14 00:00:52,925 --> 00:00:55,565 [Piers]
To discover the design innovation, passion 15 00:00:55,645 --> 00:00:59,085 and endurance needed
to transform architectural vision 16 00:00:59,165 --> 00:01:00,965 into an extraordinary home. 17 00:01:01,325 --> 00:01:03,765 Look, I’m dumbstruck. 18 00:01:04,565 --> 00:01:06,645 [Caroline] We’re travelling the globe. 19 00:01:07,645 --> 00:01:09,325 [Piers] Meeting architects and owners 20 00:01:09,405 --> 00:01:13,525 to explore how their daring homes
respond uniquely to local landscape, 21 00:01:13,605 --> 00:01:15,645 climate and culture. 22 00:01:15,725 --> 00:01:18,765 I think this is probably
the greatest house I've ever been in. 23 00:01:18,845 --> 00:01:20,925 [Caroline]
Whether it’s battling the elements 24 00:01:21,005 --> 00:01:22,325 to construct a dream home 25 00:01:22,405 --> 00:01:25,245 on dramatic Scandinavian terrain... 26 00:01:25,605 --> 00:01:28,605 The architect was nervous
that things would go wrong, 27 00:01:28,685 --> 00:01:30,485 he couldn’t bear to look at it. 28 00:01:30,565 --> 00:01:33,845 [Piers] Pushing the boundaries
of European experimentation... 29 00:01:34,205 --> 00:01:35,965 -I think that's it.
-I think it is. 30 00:01:36,365 --> 00:01:38,365 When I looked at the proposal, 31 00:01:38,445 --> 00:01:40,205 in the beginning I was almost shocked. 32 00:01:40,765 --> 00:01:44,245 [Caroline] Celebrating craftsmanship
and beauty in Asia... 33 00:01:44,725 --> 00:01:48,005 We’ve likened this house
to dripping chocolate sauce 34 00:01:48,085 --> 00:01:49,485 all over vanilla ice cream. 35 00:01:49,725 --> 00:01:52,005 [Piers] ...or going all out
for glamour in America. 36 00:01:52,605 --> 00:01:56,485 You just do what you do best,
is to create a masterpiece. 37 00:01:56,965 --> 00:01:59,885 Piers! Is this too Miami? 38 00:02:08,805 --> 00:02:10,485 [Piers] This time we’re in a country 39 00:02:10,565 --> 00:02:13,925 which has a rich tradition of flamboyance
in architecture, 40 00:02:14,205 --> 00:02:15,045 Spain. 41 00:02:16,005 --> 00:02:18,085 There’s something in the Spanish culture, 42 00:02:18,165 --> 00:02:21,685 that toreador in tight trousers
with glittery embroidery, 43 00:02:22,125 --> 00:02:26,045 I still feel it in the culture here,
it’s brave, it’s… 44 00:02:26,525 --> 00:02:29,205 -Showmanship. When you think of Gaudi...
-Yeah. 45 00:02:29,285 --> 00:02:33,885 Really, I mean the most theatrical way
of making buildings in a way. 46 00:02:33,965 --> 00:02:37,205 -Yeah.
-I mean, the most exotic way. 47 00:02:37,285 --> 00:02:38,725 -Daring again.
-Daring. 48 00:02:38,805 --> 00:02:39,725 Mould-breaking. 49 00:02:40,845 --> 00:02:44,085 [Piers] Gaudi threw down the gauntlet
for future architects 50 00:02:44,685 --> 00:02:47,685 and it’s this sense of adventure
that’s brought us to Spain, 51 00:02:47,965 --> 00:02:50,485 where there’s so much
thrilling architecture. 52 00:02:52,965 --> 00:02:56,525 [Caroline] The same spirit can be found
in residential properties, too. 53 00:02:57,085 --> 00:02:59,925 So we’re heading away
from the crowded coastlines 54 00:03:00,005 --> 00:03:02,445 and into Spain’s dramatic interior. 55 00:03:02,845 --> 00:03:05,605 [door clicks open]
[gasps] 56 00:03:05,685 --> 00:03:07,405 It’s a land of experimentation... 57 00:03:08,125 --> 00:03:11,405 This is a building made out
of what looks like pieces of bridge. 58 00:03:12,005 --> 00:03:14,405 [Piers] Where architects are re-writing
the rulebook. 59 00:03:15,325 --> 00:03:17,125 This would be a normal front door. 60 00:03:17,525 --> 00:03:21,085 But it tells you
the scale of the building. It’s so big. 61 00:03:22,245 --> 00:03:23,765 [Caroline] From high art homes 62 00:03:23,885 --> 00:03:26,965 to beautiful spaces for practical living. 63 00:03:27,045 --> 00:03:28,685 You have a wonderful life here. 64 00:03:28,765 --> 00:03:30,285 -Salud.
-Salud. 65 00:03:31,285 --> 00:03:33,445 [Piers]
We’ll uncover some extraordinary homes 66 00:03:33,525 --> 00:03:35,205 that challenge and surprise. 67 00:03:36,965 --> 00:03:39,085 That’s right. It feels sacred. 68 00:03:39,685 --> 00:03:41,445 It feels sacred, doesn’t it? 69 00:03:45,325 --> 00:03:48,445 [Piers] Our journey begins
in the northeast corner of Spain 70 00:03:48,525 --> 00:03:50,405 in the foothills of the Pyrenees. 71 00:03:52,285 --> 00:03:55,685 For a thousand years, religious travellers
have passed through here 72 00:03:55,765 --> 00:03:59,285 on their way to the holy city
of Santiago de Compostela. 73 00:04:00,205 --> 00:04:02,925 But we’re making a pilgrimage
of a different kind. 74 00:04:07,365 --> 00:04:08,685 The home we’re visiting 75 00:04:08,765 --> 00:04:11,285 is totally unlike the stone farmhouses 76 00:04:11,365 --> 00:04:13,085 found in this beautiful region. 77 00:04:14,325 --> 00:04:17,805 Designed by architects who have
recently won the Pritzker prize, 78 00:04:17,885 --> 00:04:19,525 the noble prize of architecture, 79 00:04:19,765 --> 00:04:22,765 this house has garnered
an awful lot of attention internationally, 80 00:04:23,205 --> 00:04:26,845 not least because it’s made
entirely of rusted metal. 81 00:04:28,405 --> 00:04:31,085 -Are you excited about seeing this house?
-I'm very excited. 82 00:04:31,325 --> 00:04:34,325 I'm making a pilgrimage
to see something really significant. 83 00:04:34,445 --> 00:04:39,165 Piers, I think that’s our building there,
that low lying little tiny, 84 00:04:39,245 --> 00:04:41,405 looks like little tin shacks. 85 00:04:42,205 --> 00:04:43,925 -I think that's it.
-I think it is. 86 00:04:47,685 --> 00:04:48,685 [Piers] Here we are. 87 00:04:49,285 --> 00:04:50,565 [Caroline laughs] 88 00:04:51,325 --> 00:04:54,965 [Piers] It's cut into the edge
of the hillside, isn't it? 89 00:04:55,085 --> 00:04:57,325 Is it my imagination, Piers, or is it? 90 00:04:57,405 --> 00:04:59,245 There's something slightly comedic
about it, 91 00:04:59,325 --> 00:05:01,525 because it is just a row of little boxes. 92 00:05:01,605 --> 00:05:03,165 But that's what's so fantastic, is that 93 00:05:03,245 --> 00:05:06,125 making interesting architecture
isn’t about making interesting shapes 94 00:05:06,205 --> 00:05:08,845 and that’s something
that this is telling us. 95 00:05:08,925 --> 00:05:10,085 [Caroline] That’s fascinating, 96 00:05:10,165 --> 00:05:11,965 ‘cause I think a lot of people perceive it 97 00:05:12,045 --> 00:05:15,525 as actually just a form, about form. 98 00:05:15,605 --> 00:05:17,005 -But--
-Frank Gehry in Bilbao, 99 00:05:17,085 --> 00:05:18,765 making something that says "Look at me." 100 00:05:18,845 --> 00:05:20,285 This says "Don’t look at me." 101 00:05:20,605 --> 00:05:23,085 Yes, it does,
except I am going to look at it. 102 00:05:25,405 --> 00:05:28,565 [Piers] This house is
a really exceptional piece of architecture 103 00:05:29,205 --> 00:05:30,525 by any standard. 104 00:05:40,565 --> 00:05:43,005 Built for a famous chef and her family, 105 00:05:43,085 --> 00:05:44,765 this home is designed to appear 106 00:05:44,845 --> 00:05:46,805 like a series of agricultural buildings 107 00:05:46,885 --> 00:05:48,685 that merge with the landscape. 108 00:05:49,565 --> 00:05:51,885 Created by architects
at the top of their game, 109 00:05:51,965 --> 00:05:54,845 it redefines
how a domestic building can look. 110 00:05:55,485 --> 00:05:57,565 I’m fascinated by this house. 111 00:05:59,765 --> 00:06:01,605 [Caroline] This feels like the entrance 112 00:06:01,685 --> 00:06:04,085 to an art gallery or a theatre. 113 00:06:04,285 --> 00:06:07,285 [Piers] But it’s also, curiously,
like a bit of a motorway underpass, 114 00:06:07,365 --> 00:06:09,885 and I mean that as a compliment
‘cause it’s heroic 115 00:06:09,965 --> 00:06:13,645 and really, very un-front door-like. 116 00:06:13,805 --> 00:06:15,805 [both laugh] 117 00:06:16,045 --> 00:06:18,605 I think this might be the way in. 118 00:06:21,285 --> 00:06:23,845 This is the front door I was looking for. 119 00:06:23,925 --> 00:06:26,005 What's great is that
that is front door size. 120 00:06:26,085 --> 00:06:29,365 Actually, it's about front door width
and this would be a normal front door, 121 00:06:29,565 --> 00:06:32,085 but it tells you
the scale of the building. 122 00:06:32,165 --> 00:06:35,365 It’s so big, it’s so tall. It’s four times
as tall as a normal front door. 123 00:06:37,125 --> 00:06:39,525 And there's yet another entrance in here. 124 00:06:39,885 --> 00:06:42,245 Which has a veil-like quality to it,
doesn't it? 125 00:06:42,325 --> 00:06:45,005 Look at this, Piers, look.
[gasps] 126 00:06:47,125 --> 00:06:49,445 -Wow.
-Have you worked out what this is? 127 00:06:50,765 --> 00:06:52,205 -It's a lift.
-What's fantastic is 128 00:06:52,285 --> 00:06:53,485 that it’s absurd in many ways, 129 00:06:53,565 --> 00:06:55,605 there’s a lift in a piece of ground
that’s quite flat. 130 00:06:55,685 --> 00:06:58,525 ‘Cause you could just walk straight in,
but I love the theatre of it. 131 00:06:58,605 --> 00:07:00,965 This is really dramatic, and I hate lifts. 132 00:07:01,045 --> 00:07:01,925 [Caroline laughs] 133 00:07:08,005 --> 00:07:11,485 [C] A key challenge for the architects
was to build this four-bedroom home 134 00:07:11,565 --> 00:07:13,405 along the edge of an escarpment. 135 00:07:14,365 --> 00:07:16,925 The underground entrance was excavated 136 00:07:17,085 --> 00:07:21,085 and foundations cut into the ridge line
along a 60-metre plot. 137 00:07:22,085 --> 00:07:24,685 Designed to resemble
agricultural buildings, 138 00:07:24,765 --> 00:07:28,445 the house is made up
of 11 specially crafted steel boxes, 139 00:07:28,565 --> 00:07:30,525 all linked by a steel corridor, 140 00:07:30,845 --> 00:07:33,165 cleverly hidden by a man-made ridge. 141 00:07:33,525 --> 00:07:36,765 Planted up to blend in
with the surrounding landscape. 142 00:07:37,485 --> 00:07:41,565 The master bedroom is at one end
with three further bedrooms at the other. 143 00:07:41,885 --> 00:07:44,845 In between, there's a generous amount
of living space. 144 00:07:45,245 --> 00:07:47,725 The lift arrives
into the centre of the house. 145 00:07:50,365 --> 00:07:51,805 [Caroline] What's through here? 146 00:07:55,165 --> 00:07:57,045 -It’s almost disorientating.
-It is. 147 00:07:58,325 --> 00:08:00,245 [Caroline] It's such a dark entrance. 148 00:08:00,365 --> 00:08:02,165 I’ve never been in a house 149 00:08:02,245 --> 00:08:04,565 where you enter completely in the dark. 150 00:08:04,645 --> 00:08:07,925 With nothing in it to give you any sense
of where you are. 151 00:08:08,045 --> 00:08:09,765 And then suddenly the light. 152 00:08:22,965 --> 00:08:23,965 [Caroline] Oh! 153 00:08:24,965 --> 00:08:26,965 [sound of crickets and birds] 154 00:08:28,085 --> 00:08:29,485 [Caroline] I'm speechless. 155 00:08:35,485 --> 00:08:36,485 Are you thrilled? 156 00:08:38,525 --> 00:08:40,565 I think I’m most thrilled by 157 00:08:40,685 --> 00:08:43,205 this sense that there’s a building 158 00:08:43,285 --> 00:08:45,405 that in many ways is a piece of high art, 159 00:08:45,485 --> 00:08:47,525 and yet it’s only really 160 00:08:47,605 --> 00:08:51,925 one or two steps away
from a farmer’s slurry pit. 161 00:08:52,325 --> 00:08:54,885 This is rooted in this landscape
in the best possible way. 162 00:08:55,045 --> 00:08:58,365 You can almost see the cows coming in
to drink at this, can't you? 163 00:09:04,085 --> 00:09:06,965 [Caroline] This house is truly minimalist. 164 00:09:09,165 --> 00:09:12,325 [Piers] I'm really enjoying
the simplicity and silence. 165 00:09:14,205 --> 00:09:17,365 [Caroline]
So I can take a good look around in peace. 166 00:09:19,285 --> 00:09:20,845 Thing about houses like this is 167 00:09:20,925 --> 00:09:23,805 they always look so immaculate,
they are so minimalist. 168 00:09:23,885 --> 00:09:26,685 But like every family,
they've got clutter. 169 00:09:27,165 --> 00:09:29,045 I just have to find out where it is. 170 00:09:32,005 --> 00:09:34,245 Aha. oh. 171 00:09:34,765 --> 00:09:35,885 [door bangs] 172 00:09:36,845 --> 00:09:37,885 Aha. 173 00:09:41,165 --> 00:09:42,285 [gasps] 174 00:09:43,845 --> 00:09:46,165 This is where they hide all those things 175 00:09:46,285 --> 00:09:49,445 that you and I see
for the rest of our lives, 176 00:09:50,125 --> 00:09:51,125 all the time. 177 00:09:53,805 --> 00:09:54,845 Ooh! 178 00:09:56,405 --> 00:09:57,405 Interesting. 179 00:09:58,525 --> 00:10:01,845 There are even entire rooms behind doors. 180 00:10:06,605 --> 00:10:09,085 [Piers] This house could have felt cold
and uninviting, 181 00:10:09,165 --> 00:10:12,165 but through their manipulation
of the play of light on steel, 182 00:10:12,645 --> 00:10:16,205 the architects have created a warm
and captivating atmosphere. 183 00:10:18,045 --> 00:10:21,885 It makes me wonder why more houses
aren’t made completely from metal. 184 00:10:25,925 --> 00:10:29,165 [Caroline] And I wonder if I’ll need
a can opener to find the television? 185 00:10:36,165 --> 00:10:37,285 There's nothing on. 186 00:10:42,325 --> 00:10:46,165 There's a steely determination
to hide life's functionality here. 187 00:10:46,485 --> 00:10:48,765 Although its aesthetically pleasing, 188 00:10:48,845 --> 00:10:51,965 I imagine it can be a challenge
to live with. 189 00:10:53,485 --> 00:10:55,605 Nowadays it seems that every house 190 00:10:55,685 --> 00:10:58,085 has a room which has a specific function 191 00:10:58,165 --> 00:11:00,605 and we need to know
what every bit of it is for, 192 00:11:01,045 --> 00:11:02,725 but this house has more void, 193 00:11:02,805 --> 00:11:04,645 more emptiness than actual room. 194 00:11:05,405 --> 00:11:07,885 And it’s in these voids,
in this empty space, 195 00:11:07,965 --> 00:11:10,565 that for me, this house comes alive. 196 00:11:11,685 --> 00:11:14,085 I’m completely blown away by it. 197 00:11:21,725 --> 00:11:23,685 Unfortunately, I've come to the bedroom 198 00:11:23,765 --> 00:11:25,685 and there doesn't appear to be a bed. 199 00:11:26,405 --> 00:11:28,405 Unless I'm missing something and... 200 00:11:30,485 --> 00:11:32,245 like the rest of the house, it's... 201 00:11:34,325 --> 00:11:37,085 it's hidden behind a panel. 202 00:11:37,525 --> 00:11:38,365 Hang on. 203 00:11:43,325 --> 00:11:44,485 [laughs] 204 00:11:47,085 --> 00:11:49,245 Ingenious, these Spanish. 205 00:11:50,965 --> 00:11:53,765 [screams and laughs] 206 00:11:53,845 --> 00:11:57,485 I'm going to roll right under the stairs
and go to bed. 207 00:11:58,605 --> 00:11:59,605 [sighs] 208 00:12:02,005 --> 00:12:05,125 [Piers] I think this building
is intriguing both inside and out. 209 00:12:05,365 --> 00:12:08,125 I’d like to find out
from architect Rafael Aranda 210 00:12:08,205 --> 00:12:10,805 what the clients really wanted
when they approached them 211 00:12:10,885 --> 00:12:11,965 to design the house. 212 00:12:14,125 --> 00:12:17,965 They wanted a place
they could feel secluded. 213 00:12:18,325 --> 00:12:21,525 And where they would be 214 00:12:21,605 --> 00:12:23,605 in close contact with the landscape. 215 00:12:24,125 --> 00:12:26,485 There’s also one single material 216 00:12:26,565 --> 00:12:28,125 that binds this house together. 217 00:12:28,245 --> 00:12:29,205 Why steel? 218 00:12:29,485 --> 00:12:35,605 It’s a material that allows us
to be contemporary 219 00:12:35,685 --> 00:12:38,925 but it also has the feature
of being full of life. 220 00:12:39,605 --> 00:12:41,925 So you can see 221 00:12:42,005 --> 00:12:44,525 the passage of time in the material. 222 00:12:44,645 --> 00:12:50,125 We want architecture to convey
a sense of the passage of time. 223 00:12:50,525 --> 00:12:52,725 But this house is also 224 00:12:52,805 --> 00:12:54,765 a place that has 225 00:12:54,845 --> 00:12:56,285 an extraordinary atmosphere. 226 00:12:56,365 --> 00:13:01,725 It’s a house that wants to be
an experience. 227 00:13:01,805 --> 00:13:02,885 Basically. 228 00:13:03,045 --> 00:13:03,885 So... 229 00:13:04,925 --> 00:13:05,805 It wants... 230 00:13:07,685 --> 00:13:12,765 to give the people living in it,
as well as visitors, 231 00:13:13,165 --> 00:13:14,645 an emotional experience. 232 00:13:15,925 --> 00:13:19,925 [Caroline] It’s an experience
enjoyed by the owner, Fina Puigdevall, 233 00:13:20,005 --> 00:13:22,885 who lives here with her husband
and two daughters. 234 00:13:24,485 --> 00:13:25,365 Hello, hennies. 235 00:13:26,725 --> 00:13:28,445 We’re exploring the kitchen garden 236 00:13:28,525 --> 00:13:29,805 below the house. 237 00:13:29,885 --> 00:13:32,365 These eggs,
are they for home or the restaurant? 238 00:13:32,445 --> 00:13:33,925 The restaurant. The home. 239 00:13:34,005 --> 00:13:35,365 Both? You use them for both? 240 00:13:35,445 --> 00:13:37,765 [Caroline] Fina’s a Michelin-starred chef, 241 00:13:37,885 --> 00:13:41,325 who is passionate about cooking
with fresh local ingredients. 242 00:13:41,405 --> 00:13:43,965 [Caroline] Can we take in some chard?
-Yeah. 243 00:13:47,525 --> 00:13:49,805 [Caroline]
Oh, it’s a big one. So he’s good. 244 00:13:49,885 --> 00:13:51,965 We’ll give that carrot to Piers. 245 00:13:55,365 --> 00:13:57,605 [Piers]
The kitchen is Fina's natural habitat 246 00:13:57,685 --> 00:14:00,765 and it's probably a good idea
not to get under the feet of a chef 247 00:14:00,885 --> 00:14:02,245 while she's hard at work. 248 00:14:05,485 --> 00:14:08,165 [Caroline]
The use of steel and rusted steel 249 00:14:09,285 --> 00:14:11,925 is quite a bold statement, isn’t it? 250 00:14:12,005 --> 00:14:15,845 And I’d expect it to feel
quite intimidating and quite rough. 251 00:14:15,925 --> 00:14:20,525 But this house is actually
incredibly welcoming and very warm. 252 00:14:20,605 --> 00:14:21,765 Very warm, I mean steel 253 00:14:21,845 --> 00:14:24,085 is a warm colour. This mild steel 254 00:14:24,165 --> 00:14:27,325 that is corroding slightly,
has this red warm, 255 00:14:27,925 --> 00:14:29,485 almost leather-like feel to it. 256 00:14:29,965 --> 00:14:31,885 Raw things often are warmer 257 00:14:31,965 --> 00:14:34,605 than things that are finished
and polished and everything. 258 00:14:34,685 --> 00:14:35,525 And I think 259 00:14:35,605 --> 00:14:41,685 this material gives this room
a really sumptuous feeling. 260 00:14:41,765 --> 00:14:44,525 It makes it feel luxurious actually, 261 00:14:44,605 --> 00:14:47,845 even though it's mild steel
that's just going rusty. 262 00:14:53,485 --> 00:14:56,645 [Caroline] It’s lovely to bring the nature
actually into the house. 263 00:14:56,725 --> 00:14:58,925 -Look, the dragonflies are coming in.
-Yeah. 264 00:14:59,005 --> 00:15:01,485 [Caroline laughs]
They are mating on their way in. 265 00:15:01,565 --> 00:15:03,205 [P] Maybe that's to keep the chickens out 266 00:15:03,285 --> 00:15:05,365 ‘cause without that, the chickens
could just come in, 267 00:15:05,445 --> 00:15:07,805 which I think would be
really nice actually. 268 00:15:07,885 --> 00:15:10,765 [sound of church bells] 269 00:15:12,245 --> 00:15:14,605 [Caroline]
There’s no chicken on the menu today. 270 00:15:15,245 --> 00:15:18,005 -For you.
-Delicious, wow. 271 00:15:18,365 --> 00:15:20,525 [Caroline] Just that home-grown veg. 272 00:15:20,605 --> 00:15:21,645 [Piers] So, 273 00:15:21,725 --> 00:15:23,645 what has the architecture 274 00:15:23,725 --> 00:15:26,725 of this brought to your life? 275 00:15:27,045 --> 00:15:28,285 [in Spanish] Everything. 276 00:15:29,125 --> 00:15:29,965 Yeah. 277 00:15:30,485 --> 00:15:32,365 [in Spanish] And I think it’s a great idea 278 00:15:32,445 --> 00:15:36,885 that you enter the house
below ground level. 279 00:15:37,205 --> 00:15:40,205 You never see cars. 280 00:15:43,205 --> 00:15:44,445 Just nature. 281 00:15:46,525 --> 00:15:50,405 [Caroline] What is the thing
that brings you most delight, 282 00:15:50,485 --> 00:15:52,525 most joy about living here? 283 00:15:53,125 --> 00:15:54,445 [in Spanish] Mm... 284 00:15:54,845 --> 00:15:58,205 It’s a place where there’s great peace.
It makes you feel peaceful. 285 00:15:58,285 --> 00:16:00,085 And you don’t need to do a thing. 286 00:16:00,965 --> 00:16:04,125 I love to come here
and not do a single thing. 287 00:16:04,885 --> 00:16:06,805 Just watch the hours pass. 288 00:16:06,885 --> 00:16:08,885 [Caroline] Peace, to peace. 289 00:16:08,965 --> 00:16:11,125 This house and to peace. 290 00:16:15,685 --> 00:16:18,325 [Caroline] I had my doubts
about living in a big steel box, 291 00:16:19,285 --> 00:16:21,045 but I’m warming to the idea. 292 00:16:26,885 --> 00:16:29,645 [Piers] I think at the end of the day,
which this is, 293 00:16:29,725 --> 00:16:34,765 you can judge a house
by the quality of its fire. 294 00:16:35,245 --> 00:16:37,565 I actually love the generosity
of this fire, 295 00:16:38,085 --> 00:16:44,085 and I love the way that the fire is level
with the ground around it. 296 00:16:45,645 --> 00:16:47,325 Have you ever seen a bigger flue? 297 00:16:47,405 --> 00:16:49,045 Be careful how you answer that. 298 00:16:49,125 --> 00:16:51,125 [both laugh] 299 00:17:00,325 --> 00:17:02,045 [Piers] We've left farmland behind 300 00:17:02,125 --> 00:17:05,565 and travelled south-west
to the outskirts of the capital city. 301 00:17:09,365 --> 00:17:12,005 [Piers] Here in the suburbs,
one architect has chosen 302 00:17:12,085 --> 00:17:16,165 to showcase his work
by building a really unusual family home. 303 00:17:17,925 --> 00:17:19,685 I grew up in suburbia 304 00:17:19,765 --> 00:17:22,805 and the thing I remember
about suburban houses 305 00:17:22,885 --> 00:17:24,285 is the sort of similarity 306 00:17:24,365 --> 00:17:27,685 that nobody wants to really to do
anything out of the ordinary 307 00:17:27,765 --> 00:17:30,125 or anything that will make
the neighbours stare. 308 00:17:30,205 --> 00:17:31,045 [Piers] 309 00:17:31,125 --> 00:17:34,725 But this architect isn’t worried about
creating a stir in the neighbourhood, 310 00:17:35,085 --> 00:17:37,445 he’s done something very different. 311 00:17:39,485 --> 00:17:40,485 [Caroline] Wow! 312 00:17:48,285 --> 00:17:49,125 [Caroline] 313 00:17:49,205 --> 00:17:52,805 Unhampered by the usual strictures
of a suburban build, 314 00:17:52,925 --> 00:17:56,285 this house wears its challenging
architectural identity 315 00:17:56,365 --> 00:17:59,045 like armour, on the outside. 316 00:17:59,605 --> 00:18:00,885 For the ancient Greeks, 317 00:18:00,965 --> 00:18:04,325 Hemeroscopium was a place
that only existed in the mind. 318 00:18:04,445 --> 00:18:06,045 A place defined by light. 319 00:18:06,125 --> 00:18:09,405 Will this concrete house
live up to its namesake? 320 00:18:10,245 --> 00:18:14,885 [Piers] This is a hugely grand entrance
in the classical tradition. 321 00:18:15,005 --> 00:18:18,045 This is an extraordinary covered portico. 322 00:18:18,325 --> 00:18:20,045 But it’s not a classical building. 323 00:18:20,125 --> 00:18:22,885 I mean, this is a building made out
of huge bits of concrete, 324 00:18:22,965 --> 00:18:24,845 made out of what looks like 325 00:18:24,925 --> 00:18:26,085 pieces of bridge. 326 00:18:26,165 --> 00:18:27,765 [C] It feels historic, doesn’t it? 327 00:18:27,845 --> 00:18:30,525 [Piers] It does,
I mean, this is a bit of ancient Greece, 328 00:18:30,605 --> 00:18:32,405 that’s landed in a Spanish suburb 329 00:18:32,485 --> 00:18:35,525 but it’s made out
of 21st Century materials like concrete. 330 00:18:35,605 --> 00:18:38,165 And there's a swimming pool and
a table tennis table 331 00:18:38,245 --> 00:18:39,285 and a speaker and-- 332 00:18:39,365 --> 00:18:42,325 [Caroline] It’s the ancient and the modern
all in one place. 333 00:18:44,685 --> 00:18:46,805 [Caroline]
Creating this home was a challenge. 334 00:18:48,485 --> 00:18:51,485 It took owner-architect,
Anton Garcia-Abril, 335 00:18:51,845 --> 00:18:55,805 a year just to calculate
the exact positioning of each element. 336 00:18:59,645 --> 00:19:03,565 [Piers] The house is made
of seven vast concrete and steel beams, 337 00:19:03,645 --> 00:19:06,925 each supporting the other
in the form of an upward spiral, 338 00:19:07,005 --> 00:19:09,725 held in place
by a 20-tonne lump of granite 339 00:19:09,925 --> 00:19:11,845 which acts as a counterweight. 340 00:19:13,525 --> 00:19:17,845 Outside, the beams form a large courtyard
around the swimming pool. 341 00:19:19,005 --> 00:19:21,845 Downstairs, there’s plenty
of family living space 342 00:19:22,005 --> 00:19:25,365 and upstairs there’s the main bedroom
and another for the children. 343 00:19:28,925 --> 00:19:30,965 [Caroline]
The real genius of this house 344 00:19:31,045 --> 00:19:34,605 is that it's made of sections
of pre-cast concrete and steel, 345 00:19:34,685 --> 00:19:37,605 normally found
in huge construction projects. 346 00:19:40,485 --> 00:19:42,405 Take a closer look at Hemeroscopium 347 00:19:42,525 --> 00:19:45,125 and bridges, motorways, overpasses 348 00:19:45,205 --> 00:19:48,005 and even drainage ditches start to appear. 349 00:19:49,965 --> 00:19:53,445 But miraculously put it all together
and the result is... 350 00:19:54,765 --> 00:19:55,845 heroic. 351 00:20:01,645 --> 00:20:04,365 [Piers] This is a dining room
and this is a living room 352 00:20:04,485 --> 00:20:06,285 but again unlike most suburban houses, 353 00:20:06,365 --> 00:20:09,445 they are made out of the most
enormous pieces of pre-cast concrete 354 00:20:09,525 --> 00:20:10,645 of this scale. 355 00:20:10,725 --> 00:20:13,365 This is a pre-cast concrete plank
on the floor, 356 00:20:13,445 --> 00:20:15,525 the sort that you'd make
a car park out of. 357 00:20:15,605 --> 00:20:17,485 And this inside and outside wall 358 00:20:17,565 --> 00:20:19,525 at the back here is a 20-metre long 359 00:20:19,605 --> 00:20:21,165 pre-cast concrete I beam. 360 00:20:24,325 --> 00:20:26,165 [Piers]
The structure has been left exposed 361 00:20:26,245 --> 00:20:30,285 throughout the house, creating a striking
background for informal family life. 362 00:20:42,365 --> 00:20:45,605 I can’t go on without showing you
this special surprise 363 00:20:45,685 --> 00:20:47,405 which leads off the bedroom. 364 00:20:48,205 --> 00:20:49,245 Look at this. 365 00:20:56,165 --> 00:20:58,765 Imagine waking up in the morning
and then thinking, 366 00:20:59,125 --> 00:21:01,125 "I just fancy a little bit of a swim." 367 00:21:01,485 --> 00:21:02,965 And just off your bedroom... 368 00:21:05,245 --> 00:21:06,125 is this. 369 00:21:06,845 --> 00:21:08,845 Not a bad way to start the day, is it? 370 00:21:10,085 --> 00:21:12,525 [Caroline]
The spectacular floating swimming pool 371 00:21:12,605 --> 00:21:14,965 is supposed to give the swimmer
the experience of flying. 372 00:21:15,925 --> 00:21:18,365 I’m looking forward
to taking flight later. 373 00:21:19,365 --> 00:21:22,605 It’s remarkable
that a house made of bits of motorway 374 00:21:22,685 --> 00:21:23,925 can be so homely, 375 00:21:24,005 --> 00:21:27,125 despite the 230-tonne concrete shell 376 00:21:27,205 --> 00:21:28,965 and mammoth proportions. 377 00:21:34,125 --> 00:21:35,605 And the height of the house 378 00:21:35,685 --> 00:21:37,245 offers an added bonus. 379 00:21:37,765 --> 00:21:43,045 An outdoor space that would be the envy
of any suburban curtain-twitcher. 380 00:21:46,525 --> 00:21:49,045 And this is the perfect vantage point 381 00:21:49,765 --> 00:21:51,725 to see how this extraordinary house, 382 00:21:51,805 --> 00:21:58,005 this huge structure sits
in ordinary suburban Madrid. 383 00:22:04,525 --> 00:22:07,405 [Piers] Considering how bold
the whole of the exterior is, 384 00:22:07,485 --> 00:22:10,805 the interior doesn’t need to make
quite as much of a statement. 385 00:22:14,645 --> 00:22:15,885 Have you discovered, Caroline, 386 00:22:16,005 --> 00:22:18,765 this is actually quite
a straightforward house inside. 387 00:22:18,845 --> 00:22:22,005 The kitchen isn't perched
at the end of an enormous cantilever 388 00:22:22,085 --> 00:22:23,645 bit of concrete or something. 389 00:22:23,725 --> 00:22:25,565 No, it’s a modest house 390 00:22:25,805 --> 00:22:28,525 inside an extraordinary exterior. 391 00:22:28,685 --> 00:22:30,725 Because it’s all about that space, 392 00:22:30,805 --> 00:22:31,885 that living room. 393 00:22:32,325 --> 00:22:34,005 [Piers] It's all about this. 394 00:22:34,085 --> 00:22:36,005 [Caroline] Outside space, the weather 395 00:22:36,085 --> 00:22:39,565 and having a wonderful place
to be outside. 396 00:22:42,325 --> 00:22:44,805 [Caroline]
Time for a dip in that mid-air pool. 397 00:22:48,165 --> 00:22:53,245 This house has the perfect ratio
of bedrooms to swimming pools. 398 00:22:53,765 --> 00:22:54,765 Two bedrooms, 399 00:22:55,125 --> 00:22:56,605 two swimming pools. 400 00:23:05,365 --> 00:23:08,405 [Piers] From its floating pool
to its cantilevered structure, 401 00:23:08,485 --> 00:23:11,925 there’s an interesting and unusual
architectural mind at work here. 402 00:23:13,325 --> 00:23:16,565 I’m keen to find out more
from Anton the architect. 403 00:23:17,965 --> 00:23:21,205 So there’s seven key pieces of structure
with a stone on top 404 00:23:21,285 --> 00:23:23,205 that stops everything from... 405 00:23:23,805 --> 00:23:25,205 falling over, I guess? 406 00:23:25,285 --> 00:23:30,245 Well, there’s a coil structure. 407 00:23:30,365 --> 00:23:32,085 -It's a helix?
-It's a helix. 408 00:23:32,445 --> 00:23:34,725 Each piece is absolutely 409 00:23:34,805 --> 00:23:37,525 essential to the equilibrium of the whole. 410 00:23:38,165 --> 00:23:39,845 And all that circuit 411 00:23:39,965 --> 00:23:43,445 culminates
with the 20-tonne granite stone. 412 00:23:44,605 --> 00:23:47,165 Were you surprised
by the scale of all of this 413 00:23:47,245 --> 00:23:48,365 when it came together? 414 00:23:48,445 --> 00:23:51,325 Yeah. I was very surprised 415 00:23:51,405 --> 00:23:56,165 that even though we used
these heavy traces of structure, 416 00:23:56,245 --> 00:23:57,725 that are massive, 417 00:23:59,125 --> 00:24:01,605 we obtained a very light space. 418 00:24:01,685 --> 00:24:03,445 Very transparent and light space. 419 00:24:03,525 --> 00:24:05,445 By the action of lifting, 420 00:24:05,525 --> 00:24:07,725 of the effort of the structure, 421 00:24:07,805 --> 00:24:09,525 of almost unearthing, 422 00:24:10,045 --> 00:24:14,165 this space became fluent,
and light and transparent. 423 00:24:15,485 --> 00:24:18,245 [Piers] Unsurprisingly,
not many building contractors 424 00:24:18,325 --> 00:24:20,885 would touch Anton's house
with a barge pole. 425 00:24:20,965 --> 00:24:23,405 Which meant he had to oversee
the work himself. 426 00:24:24,365 --> 00:24:25,245 Having calculated 427 00:24:25,365 --> 00:24:27,725 every position and manoeuvre in advance, 428 00:24:27,805 --> 00:24:31,685 it took just seven days to build
the structure of his family home. 429 00:24:35,805 --> 00:24:38,645 And this is a family house, isn't it?
You have children? 430 00:24:38,725 --> 00:24:40,005 We have four kids. 431 00:24:40,125 --> 00:24:42,325 Different ages from four to 16. 432 00:24:43,205 --> 00:24:44,885 The 16-year-old 433 00:24:44,965 --> 00:24:47,285 loves the courtyard
to do his birthday parties 434 00:24:47,365 --> 00:24:48,725 and the four-year-old 435 00:24:48,805 --> 00:24:51,325 loves the transparency because 436 00:24:51,405 --> 00:24:53,365 they could be all over the house 437 00:24:53,445 --> 00:24:55,725 without being confined or enclosed. 438 00:24:56,125 --> 00:24:58,405 How do you feel about this space now? 439 00:24:58,485 --> 00:25:03,645 Where is the most potent bit of joy
in this house? 440 00:25:05,085 --> 00:25:07,765 I think there’s two moments of joy
in this house. 441 00:25:07,885 --> 00:25:09,925 The social moment that is 442 00:25:10,765 --> 00:25:14,005 confined and embraced
by the structure in this courtyard, 443 00:25:14,085 --> 00:25:15,365 it’s an open courtyard. 444 00:25:16,285 --> 00:25:19,565 and another extraordinary moment
of this house is that 445 00:25:19,725 --> 00:25:24,245 you get the panoramic views
when you go to bed at night. 446 00:25:24,805 --> 00:25:26,245 But we love this house. 447 00:25:26,325 --> 00:25:27,445 [Piers] And so do we. 448 00:25:32,245 --> 00:25:34,485 [Piers] This house is really unusual. 449 00:25:34,565 --> 00:25:37,445 There’s something really poetic in taking 450 00:25:37,565 --> 00:25:40,485 these off-the-shelf pieces of structure
and using them 451 00:25:40,565 --> 00:25:42,365 to make domestic space. 452 00:25:42,445 --> 00:25:45,085 [Caroline] I think what will stay with me
about this house 453 00:25:45,165 --> 00:25:48,605 is arriving to find an heroic Greek temple 454 00:25:48,685 --> 00:25:51,365 behind a gate on a suburban street. 455 00:25:55,005 --> 00:25:57,165 It’s nice to walk off into the sunset
with you, P. 456 00:25:57,245 --> 00:25:58,605 It is. Where we going now? 457 00:25:58,685 --> 00:26:00,845 [Caroline]
We're going off the beaten track... 458 00:26:02,645 --> 00:26:06,525 to a sleepy historic corner
of north-west Spain, 459 00:26:06,605 --> 00:26:08,765 barely touched by tourism. 460 00:26:16,965 --> 00:26:19,365 This may seem an unlikely place to find 461 00:26:19,485 --> 00:26:21,245 cutting-edge architecture, 462 00:26:21,325 --> 00:26:24,365 but this is Spain
and anything is possible. 463 00:26:29,285 --> 00:26:30,645 [Piers] Our next house turns 464 00:26:30,725 --> 00:26:32,165 tradition on its head. 465 00:26:34,165 --> 00:26:35,205 Not far out of town, 466 00:26:35,285 --> 00:26:37,005 there’s an arts project going on 467 00:26:37,085 --> 00:26:39,125 unlike anything else in the world. 468 00:26:46,125 --> 00:26:47,805 [Caroline] And it’s out there somewhere 469 00:26:47,885 --> 00:26:50,605 in this densely forested mountain region. 470 00:26:51,485 --> 00:26:54,485 Our Sat Nav has brought us
to the end of the road. 471 00:26:55,085 --> 00:26:56,885 -[Caroline] Oh!
-[Piers] Top of the hill. 472 00:26:56,965 --> 00:26:59,325 [Caroline]
And still no sign of civilisation. 473 00:27:23,765 --> 00:27:25,405 [Piers]
The architects of this holiday home 474 00:27:25,485 --> 00:27:29,845 deliberately set out to challenge
our preconceptions of how to live. 475 00:27:31,565 --> 00:27:32,925 They were given free reign 476 00:27:33,005 --> 00:27:35,125 to build this house
and it shows what can happen 477 00:27:35,245 --> 00:27:37,485 if you give architects creative freedom. 478 00:27:39,685 --> 00:27:43,285 [Piers]
It’s a very singular thing, isn’t it? 479 00:27:43,765 --> 00:27:45,765 A big O on a mountain top. 480 00:27:47,125 --> 00:27:50,285 [P] So this is how you would command
a site historically, isn’t it? 481 00:27:51,285 --> 00:27:52,605 [Caroline] Find the highest point? 482 00:27:52,685 --> 00:27:55,245 [Piers] Well,
this is a little hilltop fort, isn't it? 483 00:27:55,325 --> 00:27:57,525 [Caroline]
Yeah. I mean there is something ancient, 484 00:27:57,685 --> 00:28:00,845 like we've stumbled upon
some sort of ancient civilisation, 485 00:28:00,925 --> 00:28:02,925 but also it feels quite futuristic. 486 00:28:03,005 --> 00:28:06,925 But a timeless way
of making a place ultimately. 487 00:28:07,005 --> 00:28:08,805 At the top of a hill, push out 488 00:28:08,885 --> 00:28:11,925 your defensible space to the outside
and then make 489 00:28:12,005 --> 00:28:13,605 a sacred space in the middle. 490 00:28:14,805 --> 00:28:18,925 That's right, it feels sacred, doesn't it? 491 00:28:19,405 --> 00:28:22,285 -Sort of an Aztec sort of sacred quality.
-[Piers] Yeah. 492 00:28:22,805 --> 00:28:24,405 This is wild country out here. 493 00:28:25,165 --> 00:28:26,925 And this is untamed wilderness. 494 00:28:32,085 --> 00:28:34,445 [Caroline]
Assigned a plot on a hilltop plateau, 495 00:28:34,525 --> 00:28:38,725 the architects chose
a circular 45-metre diameter design, 496 00:28:39,205 --> 00:28:42,245 so as to make
the most of the panoramic views. 497 00:28:43,765 --> 00:28:46,205 Four rows of steel columns support
the roof 498 00:28:46,285 --> 00:28:50,405 while walls of glass help
the building dissolve into the landscape. 499 00:28:52,245 --> 00:28:55,365 There are four crescent-shaped segments
of domestic space, 500 00:28:55,445 --> 00:28:57,445 including an outdoor utility room, 501 00:28:57,845 --> 00:29:00,885 three bedrooms
and a living room kitchen diner. 502 00:29:06,765 --> 00:29:09,845 I like that ‘cause that sounds like
Starship Enterprise door. 503 00:29:12,125 --> 00:29:14,445 I can never make that noise,
I’ve never been able to. 504 00:29:14,525 --> 00:29:15,485 You just did. 505 00:29:15,565 --> 00:29:16,445 It’s a good space 506 00:29:16,525 --> 00:29:18,405 for a kitchen, it’s sort of little, 507 00:29:18,485 --> 00:29:20,245 -a little...
-Slither. 508 00:29:20,325 --> 00:29:22,605 -Yes, a slither of building,
-That… 509 00:29:22,685 --> 00:29:24,605 -Okay.
-...opens up, I think. 510 00:29:24,685 --> 00:29:28,245 For most of the year,
you can open all of these screens. 511 00:29:28,725 --> 00:29:30,845 -Push.
-Nearly. 512 00:29:31,725 --> 00:29:34,125 [Piers] And the character of this room
has changed completely. 513 00:29:34,205 --> 00:29:35,485 [Caroline] It's suddenly become 514 00:29:35,565 --> 00:29:38,445 as one of the most amazing kitchens
in the whole world, 515 00:29:38,805 --> 00:29:40,805 because the wilderness is just here. 516 00:29:41,565 --> 00:29:43,565 [Piers]
It’s now the biggest room in Spain. 517 00:29:43,645 --> 00:29:44,525 [Caroline] Yeah. 518 00:29:45,445 --> 00:29:48,125 We’re out in the wilds,
we’re by the mountains. 519 00:29:48,205 --> 00:29:50,165 [Piers]
What's wonderful is how close to nature 520 00:29:50,245 --> 00:29:52,165 this house allows us to be. 521 00:29:55,165 --> 00:29:58,405 [Piers]These open plan, crescent-shaped
living spaces are pretty radical, 522 00:29:58,725 --> 00:30:00,205 but somehow they work. 523 00:30:01,125 --> 00:30:03,645 I like the way it deals
with light and surface, it's beautiful. 524 00:30:03,725 --> 00:30:05,565 I mean, that stuff I think is beautiful. 525 00:30:05,645 --> 00:30:08,805 I think the quality of the light
filtering through that expanded metal 526 00:30:08,885 --> 00:30:10,885 and this polycarbonate is beautiful. 527 00:30:11,125 --> 00:30:13,925 I mean, it's really sumptuous this house
in some ways. 528 00:30:14,005 --> 00:30:15,605 I mean, it's a beautiful thing, 529 00:30:15,725 --> 00:30:18,965 but it’s made out of stuff
and it's just industrial materials. 530 00:30:19,325 --> 00:30:21,925 -[C] The floors are polished concrete?
-[P] Polished concrete, yeah. 531 00:30:22,005 --> 00:30:23,925 It’s had the surface ground off 532 00:30:24,005 --> 00:30:26,165 and you see the exposed aggregate,
you know. 533 00:30:26,325 --> 00:30:27,685 [C] It looks like a terrazzo floor. 534 00:30:27,765 --> 00:30:30,085 [Piers] It looks like terrazzo
but its polished concrete. 535 00:30:33,845 --> 00:30:36,965 [Caroline] Creating this circular property
was an architectural challenge, 536 00:30:39,045 --> 00:30:43,005 as the roof and floor are
each continuous stretches of concrete. 537 00:30:50,485 --> 00:30:53,965 The floor was poured in one day
working against the clock 538 00:30:54,805 --> 00:30:58,005 to ensure that 550 tonnes of concrete 539 00:30:58,085 --> 00:31:00,685 didn’t set before the circle was complete. 540 00:31:05,005 --> 00:31:07,205 And with 800 scaffolding poles 541 00:31:07,285 --> 00:31:08,285 providing support, 542 00:31:08,965 --> 00:31:10,965 the process was repeated
to create the roof... 543 00:31:13,245 --> 00:31:16,285 resulting in two seamless rings. 544 00:31:22,485 --> 00:31:24,565 [Piers] This house has such a simple idea 545 00:31:24,645 --> 00:31:25,525 because the idea 546 00:31:25,605 --> 00:31:29,405 is one single simple circle. 547 00:31:29,645 --> 00:31:31,085 And how this architect 548 00:31:31,165 --> 00:31:34,365 has made it usable is
to turn it into a square. 549 00:31:34,445 --> 00:31:37,885 What they've done is add in
four straight walls 550 00:31:38,005 --> 00:31:39,245 across the plan 551 00:31:40,285 --> 00:31:44,325 and what these square walls do is,
of course, 552 00:31:44,605 --> 00:31:48,005 allow you to place things
like beds and kitchens, etc. 553 00:31:48,085 --> 00:31:49,765 But I think the best thing, of course, 554 00:31:49,845 --> 00:31:52,845 is that you never quite know
whether you're inside or outside 555 00:31:52,925 --> 00:31:55,565 or whether you're
part of this huge bit of wilderness 556 00:31:55,645 --> 00:31:59,685 or whether you're still inside
this protected inner circle. 557 00:32:05,005 --> 00:32:07,925 The great joy of this house 558 00:32:08,045 --> 00:32:12,805 is that all the rooms
open up wide to the elements 559 00:32:13,445 --> 00:32:16,205 and I don’t just mean the kitchen,
I mean all the rooms. 560 00:32:16,645 --> 00:32:18,925 The bedrooms and the bathrooms too. 561 00:32:25,525 --> 00:32:26,365 Ah! 562 00:32:40,165 --> 00:32:43,085 [Piers] I really love the way
that this living space works in the round, 563 00:32:44,925 --> 00:32:48,245 and also the ambiguous relationship
between inside and out. 564 00:32:52,725 --> 00:32:54,485 [Caroline] Just over the hill 565 00:32:54,565 --> 00:32:56,245 is a second high concept house. 566 00:32:56,405 --> 00:32:59,845 Both homes have been built
for Frenchman Christian Bourdais. 567 00:33:00,845 --> 00:33:04,645 Rather than collect modern art,
he collects modern architecture. 568 00:33:06,045 --> 00:33:09,645 His aim is to create a park
with holiday rentals 569 00:33:09,725 --> 00:33:13,245 designed by some of the most
adventurous architects in the world. 570 00:33:14,085 --> 00:33:16,445 He’s currently making a film in Israel. 571 00:33:20,565 --> 00:33:22,565 -[Christian] Hello.
-[Caroline] Bonjour, bonjour! 572 00:33:22,925 --> 00:33:25,165 Bonjour, Christian. Je suis Caroline. No. 573 00:33:25,245 --> 00:33:26,325 [Caroline laughs] 574 00:33:26,405 --> 00:33:28,045 -Hello.
-Hi. 575 00:33:28,125 --> 00:33:32,445 From the moment we arrived,
it’s such a fun place to be. 576 00:33:32,525 --> 00:33:35,405 Well, what we want to do
with the summer house programme 577 00:33:35,485 --> 00:33:38,685 is kind of not speaking
about square metres 578 00:33:39,125 --> 00:33:43,445 but about speaking
a real architectural experience. 579 00:33:44,205 --> 00:33:48,085 And is that how you came up with the idea
of this project? 580 00:33:48,205 --> 00:33:49,285 The idea was to make 581 00:33:49,365 --> 00:33:51,485 architecture collection of house... 582 00:33:52,525 --> 00:33:56,285 in which all the architects can go
a little bit further 583 00:33:56,365 --> 00:33:57,765 than they used to go. 584 00:33:57,845 --> 00:33:58,965 Where does it come from, 585 00:33:59,045 --> 00:34:03,085 this desire to work with new architecture? 586 00:34:03,685 --> 00:34:06,165 The world is going
against this architecture. 587 00:34:06,285 --> 00:34:10,085 Developers today give
so many restrictions... 588 00:34:11,365 --> 00:34:13,965 that the architects... 589 00:34:14,485 --> 00:34:18,085 it's not so easy for the architects
to express their creativity. 590 00:34:18,565 --> 00:34:20,525 And ultimately, Christian, 591 00:34:20,605 --> 00:34:25,285 you are going to curate
this whole collection of buildings. 592 00:34:25,365 --> 00:34:26,845 How many will there be? 593 00:34:27,725 --> 00:34:28,645 Fifteen houses. 594 00:34:29,205 --> 00:34:30,045 Wow. 595 00:34:35,165 --> 00:34:39,405 [Caroline] A sneak preview of other houses
Christian wants to build. 596 00:34:41,565 --> 00:34:44,285 With architects given carte blanche, 597 00:34:44,365 --> 00:34:46,765 the only limit is imagination. 598 00:34:50,885 --> 00:34:53,165 This is a house that reminds me of the joy 599 00:34:53,245 --> 00:34:55,165 of the artistry of architecture. 600 00:34:55,485 --> 00:34:57,365 You can really experiment 601 00:34:57,445 --> 00:34:59,325 and explore ideas for their own sake. 602 00:34:59,805 --> 00:35:00,805 Don't you think? 603 00:35:02,845 --> 00:35:04,605 Yeah, I do. I agree. 604 00:35:07,645 --> 00:35:08,565 What can I do? 605 00:35:09,685 --> 00:35:11,325 [Caroline] Go and get your trunks on. 606 00:35:25,365 --> 00:35:27,005 [Caroline] For our final house, 607 00:35:27,085 --> 00:35:30,045 we've come
to the south-east corner of Spain. 608 00:35:30,405 --> 00:35:33,685 The arid landscape here
has been the backdrop 609 00:35:33,765 --> 00:35:35,925 for many spaghetti westerns. 610 00:35:37,445 --> 00:35:40,725 It's very no-nonsense, this landscape,
isn't it? 611 00:35:41,405 --> 00:35:42,245 It is. 612 00:35:44,285 --> 00:35:45,845 [Piers] We’ve heard about three sisters 613 00:35:45,925 --> 00:35:49,565 who asked their architects
to create an elegant rural getaway 614 00:35:49,645 --> 00:35:51,565 out in what feels like 615 00:35:51,645 --> 00:35:52,805 the middle of nowhere. 616 00:35:53,125 --> 00:35:56,125 [Caroline] Hang on, slow down, slow down. 617 00:35:58,005 --> 00:35:59,085 That's it. 618 00:35:59,725 --> 00:36:00,605 That is it. 619 00:36:10,005 --> 00:36:11,605 [Caroline] The architects here 620 00:36:11,725 --> 00:36:15,485 were tasked with creating a family home
for communal living. 621 00:36:18,765 --> 00:36:23,005 But each of the three families
also wanted their own private space. 622 00:36:24,485 --> 00:36:25,325 The result? 623 00:36:25,405 --> 00:36:26,725 Three separate homes 624 00:36:27,245 --> 00:36:29,245 linked by a shared courtyard. 625 00:36:31,125 --> 00:36:32,125 A mini village 626 00:36:32,205 --> 00:36:35,325 that cleverly gives the sisters
all they asked for. 627 00:36:40,845 --> 00:36:47,485 [Piers] This is the least precious
extraordinary home in Spain, isn’t it? 628 00:36:47,565 --> 00:36:50,445 I mean, this is... beautiful, 629 00:36:51,005 --> 00:36:54,005 but actually really basic
at the same time. 630 00:36:56,765 --> 00:37:00,965 I mean, this is much more open, of course,
this side. It faces the view, the light; 631 00:37:02,405 --> 00:37:03,805 it’s away from the road. 632 00:37:07,405 --> 00:37:08,285 [Caroline] Now, 633 00:37:08,405 --> 00:37:11,165 it makes sense
that it's for three different families. 634 00:37:11,645 --> 00:37:14,645 -Each family, each sister...
-Yeah. 635 00:37:14,725 --> 00:37:18,605 has her own sort of dining area
out in the sun. 636 00:37:18,925 --> 00:37:21,045 They all seem to have a little place to go 637 00:37:21,565 --> 00:37:23,445 and eat and relax in the sun. 638 00:37:23,845 --> 00:37:26,725 This is the living side of the house,
I suppose. 639 00:37:26,885 --> 00:37:28,725 The building blocks are very simple. 640 00:37:28,805 --> 00:37:30,765 They are all mono pitches,
all have single pitches, 641 00:37:30,845 --> 00:37:32,845 no complexity in the building blocks, 642 00:37:33,125 --> 00:37:35,925 but the way they’re put together
makes the spaces. 643 00:37:38,525 --> 00:37:40,685 [Piers] A more conventional arrangement
would have been 644 00:37:40,765 --> 00:37:42,845 to set the houses in a simple row... 645 00:37:44,365 --> 00:37:45,845 but by creating a courtyard, 646 00:37:45,925 --> 00:37:48,885 there's always a shady retreat
from the desert temperatures. 647 00:37:51,365 --> 00:37:54,045 All three houses have
a private outside space 648 00:37:54,125 --> 00:37:57,125 and a roof terrace
off the master bedroom upstairs. 649 00:37:59,525 --> 00:38:02,845 Downstairs, the layouts are similar
with a kitchen dining room, 650 00:38:02,925 --> 00:38:04,885 living room and two bedrooms. 651 00:38:06,965 --> 00:38:09,405 All are clad in local rough sawn pine 652 00:38:09,485 --> 00:38:12,405 which helps it blend in
with the colours of the landscape. 653 00:38:19,645 --> 00:38:21,525 This is a timber building on the outside 654 00:38:21,605 --> 00:38:25,605 and what's interesting is
that timber isn't the Spanish way. 655 00:38:25,685 --> 00:38:28,005 They don't really make
timber-framed buildings. 656 00:38:28,085 --> 00:38:30,645 So of course on the inside
it's all masonry, 657 00:38:30,725 --> 00:38:32,325 the structure is masonry 658 00:38:32,405 --> 00:38:34,405 and it's actually really beautiful, 659 00:38:34,485 --> 00:38:37,445 because it's made
in a very rudimentary way. 660 00:38:38,165 --> 00:38:40,565 The virtue of this building is that 661 00:38:40,645 --> 00:38:42,005 it's really ordinary 662 00:38:42,085 --> 00:38:45,685 and any contractor around here could
make it out of stuff they already have, 663 00:38:45,765 --> 00:38:48,285 using techniques that they already know. 664 00:38:48,365 --> 00:38:51,605 And I think that is its beauty,
it's really down to earth. 665 00:38:56,325 --> 00:38:59,365 [Caroline] One of the things I really love
about this, 666 00:38:59,445 --> 00:39:01,445 the first of the houses that I’ve seen, 667 00:39:02,165 --> 00:39:04,725 is that there’s nothing precious
about it at all. 668 00:39:04,805 --> 00:39:07,325 This is a house where people really live. 669 00:39:10,165 --> 00:39:11,965 [Caroline] It was important to the sisters 670 00:39:12,045 --> 00:39:14,125 that they each have a private home. 671 00:39:14,445 --> 00:39:15,285 A lovely... 672 00:39:16,885 --> 00:39:18,445 little girl’s bedroom. 673 00:39:20,125 --> 00:39:21,205 The women jointly run 674 00:39:21,285 --> 00:39:24,245 a successful fashion business together
in the city. 675 00:39:24,765 --> 00:39:26,165 Here they retreat, 676 00:39:26,325 --> 00:39:29,165 each to their own
personalised living space. 677 00:39:35,845 --> 00:39:38,405 They are protected
from their other sisters' 678 00:39:38,485 --> 00:39:41,725 sort of eating area, or patio,
or whatever you want to call it. 679 00:39:41,805 --> 00:39:46,645 And then, they get their own stretch
of this fantastic mountain scape. 680 00:39:47,885 --> 00:39:49,605 Just to spend time 681 00:39:50,685 --> 00:39:53,485 with their little bit of a family,
with their children. 682 00:39:59,685 --> 00:40:00,765 What have you found? 683 00:40:01,085 --> 00:40:03,085 [Piers]
What I’ve found is the village square. 684 00:40:03,165 --> 00:40:05,685 I mean, here we are standing
in that square that... 685 00:40:05,765 --> 00:40:06,765 -Indeed.
...is in a way, 686 00:40:06,845 --> 00:40:09,005 the most important space
in a village, isn’t it? 687 00:40:09,085 --> 00:40:11,965 And this is where I suppose, here, 688 00:40:12,045 --> 00:40:13,405 but also in those villages, 689 00:40:13,485 --> 00:40:15,445 people come
to eat, great, meet, drink; 690 00:40:15,525 --> 00:40:18,005 and also here I feel
protected from the mountains 691 00:40:18,085 --> 00:40:20,605 and from the wind that must rattle
through here on occasion. 692 00:40:20,685 --> 00:40:23,285 And the kids will be playing here,
dogs will be sleeping in the sun, 693 00:40:23,365 --> 00:40:24,365 snapping at flies. 694 00:40:24,445 --> 00:40:26,245 I mean, it’s great, isn't it? I love it. 695 00:40:27,525 --> 00:40:30,805 [Caroline] Later the courtyard will be
full of friends and family. 696 00:40:32,445 --> 00:40:34,205 But there's time for a local tipple 697 00:40:34,285 --> 00:40:35,645 with the three sisters. 698 00:40:36,725 --> 00:40:38,805 Maria Angeles, Renee 699 00:40:39,365 --> 00:40:40,365 and Minuca. 700 00:40:40,725 --> 00:40:44,645 Why particularly did you build your house
here on this piece of land? 701 00:40:44,725 --> 00:40:48,285 My father has some land here and then 702 00:40:48,365 --> 00:40:52,085 we decided to build a house. 703 00:40:52,165 --> 00:40:56,045 I always said in this piece of land
we will build a house in the future. 704 00:40:56,565 --> 00:40:59,525 -Even when you were little you said that?
-Yes. 705 00:40:59,605 --> 00:41:01,805 I don’t know why but we had this dream 706 00:41:01,885 --> 00:41:03,965 and five years ago, 707 00:41:04,045 --> 00:41:08,805 well, six years ago,
we decide to build, to build the dream. 708 00:41:09,165 --> 00:41:11,205 Was it your dream too, Renee? 709 00:41:11,285 --> 00:41:12,445 -Was that your dream?
-Yes. 710 00:41:12,525 --> 00:41:13,725 Because we spent 711 00:41:13,805 --> 00:41:17,165 our summer holidays
in, very close to here 712 00:41:17,285 --> 00:41:19,285 where our grandparents were. 713 00:41:19,605 --> 00:41:23,245 And we were together in a very big house
with all our cousins. 714 00:41:23,325 --> 00:41:25,285 We were around 20 cousins. 715 00:41:25,405 --> 00:41:28,925 And we said we want our kids
to do the same. 716 00:41:29,005 --> 00:41:32,005 To grow together, love walking... 717 00:41:32,085 --> 00:41:33,485 Maria, did you ever think, 718 00:41:33,845 --> 00:41:36,645 "I don’t want to live with my sisters
all the time, I’ll live on my own"? 719 00:41:36,725 --> 00:41:38,805 -Yes.
-[laughing] 720 00:41:39,045 --> 00:41:40,765 Then we are really practical 721 00:41:40,845 --> 00:41:43,685 and then we decide to make,
with the architect, 722 00:41:43,765 --> 00:41:45,885 you know, the shape of these houses, 723 00:41:46,565 --> 00:41:48,525 but we have a, you know, 724 00:41:48,605 --> 00:41:50,125 we have our door 725 00:41:50,245 --> 00:41:53,645 -and also we have outside space.
-Balcony. 726 00:41:53,725 --> 00:41:55,485 -Yes, balconies.
-They're private. 727 00:41:55,605 --> 00:41:58,485 You don’t see another one. 728 00:41:58,565 --> 00:42:01,005 No, I’ve noticed that.
You can’t see your sister. 729 00:42:01,085 --> 00:42:04,045 Who has the best house? 730 00:42:05,965 --> 00:42:07,645 -They are the same.
-For me, 731 00:42:07,725 --> 00:42:09,565 it’s mine. For her it’s-- 732 00:42:09,645 --> 00:42:10,805 For me, it's mine. 733 00:42:11,325 --> 00:42:13,125 You have a wonderful life here. 734 00:42:13,205 --> 00:42:14,725 -Salud.
-Salud. 735 00:42:15,205 --> 00:42:17,245 Don't you? Salud. 736 00:42:17,325 --> 00:42:18,325 Thank you. 737 00:42:21,245 --> 00:42:22,965 [sisters] Yeah, it's very good. 738 00:42:25,805 --> 00:42:28,805 [Piers] It's obvious the sisters
are really happy with the layout. 739 00:42:29,565 --> 00:42:32,925 The architects rose to the challenge
in a very creative way 740 00:42:33,005 --> 00:42:35,405 and I want to find out
how they went about the process 741 00:42:35,485 --> 00:42:37,485 of responding to a really complex brief. 742 00:42:39,325 --> 00:42:44,085 [Piers] There’s a very nice balance
between the private space, 743 00:42:44,165 --> 00:42:46,085 but also the communal space, 744 00:42:46,165 --> 00:42:49,005 the other side, the village square,
you know. 745 00:42:49,605 --> 00:42:51,165 -That--
-With the kitchen 746 00:42:51,285 --> 00:42:53,325 looking at the common space. 747 00:42:53,405 --> 00:42:56,245 We were sure about 748 00:42:56,805 --> 00:42:57,645 the cortijos, 749 00:42:57,725 --> 00:43:01,085 which is the Spanish word
for these rural houses, 750 00:43:01,645 --> 00:43:04,605 and we tried to translate something 751 00:43:04,685 --> 00:43:07,765 of this way of living 752 00:43:07,845 --> 00:43:08,885 to this house. 753 00:43:08,965 --> 00:43:11,245 And these traditional houses 754 00:43:11,325 --> 00:43:14,485 always have a courtyard in the centre 755 00:43:14,605 --> 00:43:18,165 and all the houses look at this courtyard. 756 00:43:20,925 --> 00:43:23,485 [Piers] So this surely
is the essence of this house, 757 00:43:23,845 --> 00:43:25,085 hearing kids' voices 758 00:43:25,165 --> 00:43:28,445 and hearing the sort of freedom
that they have, 759 00:43:28,525 --> 00:43:30,645 because in a lot of contemporary houses, 760 00:43:30,725 --> 00:43:32,285 things are fairly controlled, 761 00:43:32,405 --> 00:43:33,285 but not here. 762 00:43:33,365 --> 00:43:34,685 [male architect] No, not at all. 763 00:43:34,765 --> 00:43:36,685 Maybe it’s kind of philosophy, 764 00:43:36,765 --> 00:43:39,405 so the houses for them, it’s not-- 765 00:43:39,485 --> 00:43:41,445 And it’s for life and life is not like… 766 00:43:41,765 --> 00:43:42,685 No. 767 00:43:48,605 --> 00:43:50,605 [Caroline] Simple rustic design. 768 00:43:52,325 --> 00:43:53,925 -Hi.
-Hi. 769 00:43:54,005 --> 00:43:56,805 To give these fabulous women
what they love; 770 00:43:58,125 --> 00:44:00,125 quality family time. 771 00:44:18,565 --> 00:44:21,605 [Caroline] For me,
this is what architecture is all about. 772 00:44:21,965 --> 00:44:24,405 About creating place for family, 773 00:44:24,485 --> 00:44:26,605 for friends to spend time together. 774 00:44:26,685 --> 00:44:28,285 -Do you feel that?
-I do. I mean, I think, 775 00:44:28,365 --> 00:44:31,085 architecture that doesn’t have
people in it isn’t really architecture, 776 00:44:31,165 --> 00:44:33,005 you know, it’s just... 777 00:44:33,085 --> 00:44:34,685 -Buildings?
-Static buildings. 778 00:44:34,765 --> 00:44:36,205 But I think that, you know, 779 00:44:36,285 --> 00:44:39,045 for people to be able to use buildings
in such an unprecious way 780 00:44:39,125 --> 00:44:40,925 with kids running around,
things everywhere, 781 00:44:41,005 --> 00:44:42,725 that's perfect, really. 782 00:44:42,805 --> 00:44:44,805 Thank you so much for having us here. 783 00:44:44,925 --> 00:44:47,885 It’s been lovely to meet you.
You’ve all been delightful. 784 00:44:47,965 --> 00:44:48,885 Thank you. 785 00:44:48,965 --> 00:44:50,965 Cheers. Salud. 786 00:44:51,045 --> 00:44:53,045 -Salud.
-Salud. 787 00:44:53,125 --> 00:44:54,245 Salud. 788 00:44:55,365 --> 00:44:58,645 [Piers] And the architects,
we should drink to the architects as well. 789 00:44:58,725 --> 00:45:00,325 Not the architects. 790 00:45:00,405 --> 00:45:01,725 Okay. 791 00:45:02,045 --> 00:45:03,125 Yeah. 792 00:45:04,525 --> 00:45:08,205 [C] Our Spanish architectural adventure
has been a revelation. 793 00:45:08,965 --> 00:45:12,565 We've seen some extraordinary
experimental homes. 794 00:45:13,525 --> 00:45:16,725 From a high art masterpiece
that speaks to the landscape 795 00:45:16,805 --> 00:45:19,845 to an heroic suburban family home. 796 00:45:21,485 --> 00:45:23,885 [Piers]
In many ways, we've even seen the future. 797 00:45:24,325 --> 00:45:26,645 This country can be daring and brave, 798 00:45:27,045 --> 00:45:28,845 but perhaps most excitingly, 799 00:45:29,045 --> 00:45:31,605 it's pushing
the boundaries of architecture. 800 00:45:35,045 --> 00:45:37,045 Subtitle translation by Metia Bethell