The house behind a lattice
EMA17001. Emma Martí Architecture. Es Grau, Menorca
In the heart of Es Grau, north of Maó, there are narrow streets, terraced houses, and architecture often born out of necessity and common sense. It is an urban landscape partly born from self-construction, where local materials and simple solutions have gradually shaped a unique identity. In this context, Menorcan architect Emma Martí has designed a new 256-square-meter home that fits into the existing fabric with both naturalness and singularity.
The plot, located on the second line of the sea, has a particular condition: it faces two streets at different levels and, moreover, has an irregular shape. But what could have been a drawback becomes the origin of the project here. To tame the capricious plot and achieve a more regular interior layout, the house is set back slightly from the street, creating two trapezoidal courtyards, one at each access level. Two courtyards that not only resolve the geometry but also perform valuable urban functions: they provide breathing room in a dense fabric, introduce light and ventilation, and establish a gentle transition between public and private space. The courtyard on the main floor accompanies the entrance. The one on the lower floor, more practical, houses the car, bicycles, paddle surf boards, and everything that accompanies a summer by the sea.
The most delicate gesture
The facade is the most delicate gesture of the house. Emma Martí resorts to a simple, almost elementary lattice, which dialogues with the many lattices of the village. She resolves it with restraint and precision. It is a lattice that singles out the building, gives it identity without stridency. During the day it filters the light and protects privacy; in the evening, when the interior lights are turned on, the house transforms into a lantern that reveals the warmth within without fully exhibiting it.
The interior responds to the same idea of austerity. Few materials, chosen with coherence, build a serene and simple atmosphere. The continuous polished concrete floors unify interior and exterior spaces. The carpentry and furniture made of fir wood bring texture and warmth. The exterior openings, with minimal profiling and hidden frames, make boundaries disappear.
The ground floor concentrates daily life in a single space: kitchen, dining room, and living room share a scene completely open to the sea and towards the terrace, where there is a small swimming pool, almost an outdoor bathtub, oriented towards Des Grau beach.
On the first floor there are two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, designed for comfortable and flexible living. At the very top, the habitable roof terrace is like a final reward. It is accessed through a generous skylight that runs through the house with natural light. This transparent and foldable piece lies flush with the floor when open, so that access to the upper terrace is completely continuous. Up there there is space to eat, sunbathe or wait for sunset.
The lower floor completes the ensemble as a multipurpose space, capable of adapting to various uses according to the season or future needs. Because this is a house designed for holidays, yes, but also for living in the future. With an architecture and interior design made of everyday and simple gestures, this home finds the balance between the density of the urban center and the openness to the sea. And it does so with km 0 materials and with natural resources such as shade and light, ventilation and the continuity of spaces, in a permanent relationship with the exterior.