The house by Serrano + Baquero, which was born from the desire to create a living space that revolved around a large pool conceived as an epicentre of activities, blurs the boundaries of architecture and extends the house beyond its walls, acquiring its true meaning through its use and experimentation and establishing a dynamic relationship between the inhabitants, the landscape and time.
Creating a game of perspectives between what is near and what is far, the exterior of the house is made up of platforms that connect the house with its surroundings while proposing various routes and multiple forms of interaction, resulting in a project that is not only a living space, but an instrument to rediscover the potential of architecture as a creator of unique experiences.
The interior, in turn, with numerous skylights and maintaining water as a key element, reveals a flooded patio that changes with the light, as does the other interiors and their oscillating reflections.
Pool with house by Serrano + Baquero. Photograph by Javier Callejas Sevilla.
Project description by Serrano + Baquero
After several changes in location and program, Chiqui decided to build a house for himself and his son on a hill in Altos de la Zubia, where they could live and enjoy the views of Granada and the sunsets. The main requirement was to include a large pool, the focal point for the activities they wanted to share with guests and friends.
Our proposal aims to subvert the typical "house with a pool" convention, so prevalent, accepted, and replicated in the suburbs of cities, by creating a pool that houses the living space inside. The goal is to generate an experience through the use of the house, linking different sensations in each space with its relationship to water, offering two complementary experiences: to submerge and to emerge.
Emerge
The journey begins underwater, posing a surprising and unexpected arrival. From this starting point, an ascending path crosses the house, where each room establishes a unique relationship with the pool level. Submerged windows reveal a flooded patio that changes with the light, while underwater skylights illuminate the interiors with oscillating reflections. Other openings offer views at water level, transforming the reflected landscape into a dynamic element that dialogues with the interior.
The slightly sunken living room (90 cm) allows you to observe both the horizon and its liquid projection on the surface, generating a perspective that fuses the near and the far. Outside, platforms arranged at different heights expand this experience, connecting the house with its surroundings. The journey culminates in a viewing point that offers an experience of vertigo and freedom as it projects over the central flooded patio.
Submerge
The second journey offers a direct experience with water, proposing various ways to engage with the pool. There is a wet platform to cool your feet or lie down, a flooded courtyard 90 cm deep for playing and walking, an underwater seat to rest and take in the view, or a beach-like entry for submerging into the deeper area to swim, dive from the lookout point, or observe the interior activities of the house through the water windows.
The Pool with House project comes to life through its use and interaction. The water, its sound, and its interplay with light not only make each space feel different depending on the time of day but also blur the boundaries of the house, virtually incorporating the distant topography of the western horizon and Granada. These landscapes become part of each room, depending on the situation.
