casa tierra by ummo estudio

Gorgeous Vacation Home in a Grotto at Casa Tierra [Spain]

In the same troglodyte type as Hotel Sextantio in Italy, the exceptional Cuevas del Pino estate is set in the foothills of Sierra Morena, Spain, where architectural office UMMO Estudio created an extraordinary solution for preserving the tectonic beauties of Sierra Morena.

Their main project is called Casa Tierra located in the picturesque peripheral neighborhood of Villarrubia, Córdoba. The cave house stands inside the stone quarry reached via the enchanting 3000 square meter circular garden that surrounds it located within a 23-acre estate.

casa tierra by ummo estudio

casa tierra by ummo estudio

casa tierra by ummo estudio

“The product of these hollows in the rock emerged when livestock watchmen used them as small shelters,” the architects described. Today, the rehabilitated rural area provides housing and accommodation for visitors coming to experience various countryside activities and relaxation. The actual building is etched into the slightly sloping strata of the hills, peacefully sitting in the calcarenite stone terrain. During the implementation process, the architects tried to preserve the natural structure of the hill, making the least possible impact on it.

casa tierra by ummo estudio

“Both the pre-existing walls and the rock itself, enclosed and defined an area of great spatial and material wealth, and for this reason, we decided to focus the intervention toward a fluid and continuous dialogue between those pre-existing conditions and the new architecture, always from a respectful position seeking proximity rather than direct contact,” explained the architects.

casa tierra by ummo estudio

casa tierra by ummo estudio

The building adapts to the existing form of the hollow, meanwhile the clean and quiet volumes form a dialogue between the land and the building. To enter the actual apartment, visitors have to follow a path to get to the entrance. Stepping into the breathtaking interior of the house, one finds themselves in front of an exceptionally designed comfortable home. The designers used stone materials for the flooring, such as marble and concrete, which is the base of the multifunctional polished concrete floor that acts as artificial stone. On the other hand, to counterbalance all the heavy materials wood furniture was used during the interior design process, giving the building a homey feel.

casa tierra by ummo estudio

The use of glass openings throughout the building allows the light to enter the house. The unique wide gap in the exterior located in the bedroom, which faces the east, lets the beautiful morning light shine through the whole interior.

casa tierra by ummo estudio

casa tierra by ummo estudio

casa tierra by ummo estudio

HISTORICAL NOTE

According to archaeologists who have visited the site, this house once formed part of the quarry cave complex on the farm, and probably dates from the Roman era when Cordova was known as Colonia Patricia, but it could also date back to the quarries of the Arab period that supplied stone for the construction of the palatial city of Medinat al-Zahra and the Caliphal House of Ar-Rumaniya (both 10th century AD).

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the area has been used for farming, conserving the buildings that housed stables and cattle barns, not to mention a bullring where bullfights were held with the farm’s own livestock, and attracting the most important bullfighters of the time
In 2009, hosted the filming of the movie “Through the Eyes of Ouka Leele”.

In 2014 was used to promote our province and its unique spots with TURISMO ANDALUZ and ANDALUCIAFILMCOMISSION: “FILMING ANDALUCIA”

casa tierra by ummo estudio

casa tierra by ummo estudio

casa tierra by ummo estudio

First Architect designer Max Lacey, ideas from Gema Mayer and Manuel Amián del Pino.
Final Project from Andres Moreno and Manuel Murillo, UMMOestudio.

www.cuevasdelpino.com
www.ummoestudio.es

Editorial Team



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