"El Gallo" House

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1976 · Authors: Juan Julio Fernández Rodríguez

This interesting single-family home was designed by the architect Juan Julio Fernández in 1973 as his own private residence. Completed in 1976, it is located on the steep slopes of Ifara, on land from which spectacular views of the city of Santa Cruz can be seen.

The architect skilfully took advantage of the slopes to arrange the house in a stepped manner. Access is via the upper floor, where the garage and lobby areas are located. On an intermediate floor, almost the entire programme of the house is developed (bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, kitchen and other services). On the third and last floor, the lowest, there is a swimming pool with its ancillary services, a garden and a small independent apartment, accessed by a side ramp that connects the main level of the house with the lower one.

Throughout the construction, a fluid relationship is established between the different spaces by means of concrete cantilevers that project cubic and solid volumes which also protect the living areas, both by their shade and by the landscaping they contain. The patios that perforate the upper floor are also important, aiming to bring light inside, where the spaces play with both horizontal and vertical senses. On the exterior, concrete, exposed bricks, the use of wood and metal railings are combined in a balanced way.

This house, which at street level appears to have only one floor, surprises throughout its constructive and aesthetic discourse, configuring itself as an excellent example of modern architecture.

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