On a hill north of Madrid, with the sierra as backdrop in the distance, a house for Ana.

Once again, we try to build the loveliest house in the world.

And to capture the 360º panorama of the landscape, we propose a belvedere at the top of the house, where one can be in seventh heaven.

Supporting this belvedere, we build a two-story podium with local Colmenar limestone, and we carve out the required openings for windows, providing the rooms with light and ventilation.

Geometrically, the structure is based on a 12x12m square divided into nine 4x4m squares. Like an exercise from Durand’s Précis des leçons d’Architecture. With a certain Palladian flavor.

On the south-facing ground floor, a spacious living room is protected by a light veranda. The floor plan stretches on to a pool at the edge. The main entrance is on the north facade. It is flanked by a large kitchen and the dining room. At the center of this level, a 4x4m square is the main foyer, through which the staircase and the elevator are accessed. Upstairs are the bedrooms at all four corners.

Supporting this construction on a hill is a concrete podium, in a color matching the stone.