Casa Solo Pezo

Architects Pezo & Von Ellrichshausen Inaugurate the First in a Series of Spectacular Installations in Aragon

Perched on almost nine acres at the edge of the stunning Puertos Beceite National Park, Casa Pezo floats above a hidden valley, with spectacular views over the national park, the Algars river, and the medieval hilltop villages of Arnes and Horta San Juan in the distance. 

Designed by multi-award-winning, MoMA-exhibited, Chilean architects, Pezo & Von Ellrichshausen, the house was selected one of the five most important new houses in the world as well as Best New Private House in 2014 Wallpaper Magazine and has been featured extensively in the worldwide media, from Architectural Digest and Vanity Fair to the cover of the coffee table book, Super Houses.

Conceived as the first in a series of homes commissioned to highlight the work of several avant-garde international architects, Casa Pezo was completed in 2013 and is purposely located off the beaten track down an unpaved road to offer complete privacy and tranquility and an all-natural experience.

Click here for an interview with the owner.

Constructed entirely of concrete, the central base forms a platform that juts out over the landscape giving the sensation of floating above the treeline. Two stories high, the base anchors the structure around the interior courtyard and pool while the rest of the structure orbits around the periphery, and although thoroughly modern, was designed in the proportions and layout of traditional Mediterranean homes.

There's a fine-tuned sense of balance both vertically and horizontally that integrates the interior and exterior spaces, with the living area, dining area, and kitchen all benefiting from the walls of glass that slide away and immerse you into the environment. With two bedrooms, the house can accommodate up to five and is entirely solar-powered and off-grid but with a luxurious sense of minimalist style.

This is a remarkable home that offers an exceptional opportunity to experience the art of design and living.

More on Pezo & Von Ellrichshausen: Inaugural winners of the MCHAP Emerge Prize and featured in the Royal Academy's ground-breaking 2014 Sensing Spaces architecture exhibition (described in The Spectator as "the best exhibition of architecture I have ever experienced.")

Around

The Matarranya in Aragon, is one of the most sparsely populated, remote corners of Spain, and has been described as the Spanish Tuscany. Only recently accessible by newly built roadways, the region is home to several medieval hilltop villages as well as wild natural beauty. 

Traversed by the Algars river whose banks mark the border between Aragon and Catalonia, you are just over two hours from both Barcelona and Valencia. The nearby Puertos de Beceite national park is home to unique Iberian wildlife and was a favorite of Pablo Piccaso's, featuring in a number of his paintings. The protected and mostly empty beaches of the Ebro Delta are just over an hour's drive away.

Location

Aragon, Spain. Nearest airports: Reus International (1.5 hr), Barcelona and Valencia International (2.5 hr) and Zaragoza (2 hr)

Best time to visit

Spring through fall