House of the Infinite

Slim sliding glass doors link this beach house with its coastal surroundings

The beach is quite literally the back garden to this Spanish coastal home. Built into the slope rising towards the low cliffs, the white stone house blends seamlessly into the bright and open marine environment, while living up to its namesake in enjoying infinite views reaching into the horizon.

Given the dramatic views in every direction, a key focus of the design centred on specifying frameless glazing that allows the homeowners to connect with the landscape. To this end, sliding glass doors line the front of the home, while large frameless picture windows stud the side walls of the house, taking advantage of the sight of the sand stretching away in either direction.

Credit

Javier Callejas

Location

Spain

Two sets of panoramah! sliding glass doors were chosen to link each of the first-floor living spaces with the stone terrace that runs the length of the home, overlooking the beach. The minimal 20mm profiles of the sliding doors were powder coated white to match the pale aesthetic used throughout the home, mirroring the bright reflective white of the sand. The large glazed facades created by the minimally framed doors allow the sun and sea views to permeate the entirety of the home.

To one side of the spacious internal living spaces, three vertical sliding sash windows add a sense of character and symmetry with the horizontal sliding glass to the front, while connecting the kitchen and dining spaces further back within the house to the long-reaching views and fresh sea breeze.

A protective marine grade powder coat was applied to the frames of each of the glazing systems used throughout the villa, and the glass was specified with a low maintenance coating. These precautions are an important factor for projects within 5 miles of the sea, as the glazing has to endure much harsher conditions than those further inland, with salts and chemicals in the atmosphere that degrade the glass and aluminium frames over time. The thicker powder coating protects the aluminium framing, whilst the glass coating creates a very smooth surface that makes it difficult for any deposits from the area to settle on the glass.

Solar control glass was the final element in the high-performance glazing used for this bespoke international home. Given the extensive glazed elevations and the home’s location on the sunny Spanish coast, maintaining a comfortable internal living environment was vitally important to the success of the project. A low-E coating and solar control layer ensure that solar gain through the glass is drastically limited, thus preventing the rooms from overheating throughout the day.