Domus: La Casa del Hombre
A Coruña, Spain · 1995
Photo · Hisao Suzuki
A powerful precedent for integrating monumental, sculptural architecture with rugged natural topography, utilizing a curved slate-clad shield wall contrasted against stepped granite blocks.
- What we like about this project
- The sharp, knife-like edge where the curved slate wall terminates against the sky.
Materials
- granite-block
- slate-shingle
- steel-tension-rod
- natural-stone
Visual identifiers
- curved-facade
- granite-cladding
- rocky-outcrop
- sail-like-roof
- stepped-walls
Style tags
- monumentalism
- expressive
- regionalist
Visual tags
- monumental
- coastal-architecture
- stone-masonry
- expressive-structure
- sculptural-form
- Geometry
- A dramatic curved, sail-like wall clad in dark slate panels meets a series of stepped, orthogonal granite-block screen walls. The roofline slopes sharply upward, supported by exposed steel structural ties.
- Facade system
- Slate-shingle rainscreen on a curved concrete shell, paired with load-bearing or clad granite block masonry.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete shell with steel tension ties and granite-clad shear walls.
- Spatial scale
- Monumental scale, with the main curved facade rising several stories above the natural rock base.
- Lighting
- Cool, diffused daylight with soft shadows, highlighting the texture of the granite blocks and the sharp silhouette of the curved roof.
- Atmosphere
- A solemn, enduring presence where heavy stone and dynamic curves meet the raw coastal landscape.
- Environmental context
- Perched directly on a rocky coastal or cliffside terrain under an open, clear sky.
- Spatial experience
- The building rises abruptly from a rugged, rocky outcrop, reading as a monumental, protective shield or sail facing the elements.
- Composition rhythm
- The sweeping curve of the main roofline contrasts with the stepped, vertical rhythm of the granite screen walls below.
- Style reading
- Late-twentieth-century expressive regionalism
- Program
- Museum or cultural pavilion
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- granite-block, slate-shingle, steel-tension-rod, natural-stone
- Visual identifiers
- curved-facade, granite-cladding, rocky-outcrop, sail-like-roof, stepped-walls
- Style tags
- monumentalism, expressive, regionalist
- Visual tags
- monumental, coastal-architecture, stone-masonry, expressive-structure, sculptural-form
- Geometry
- A dramatic curved, sail-like wall clad in dark slate panels meets a series of stepped, orthogonal granite-block screen walls. The roofline slopes sharply upward, supported by exposed steel structural ties.
- Facade system
- Slate-shingle rainscreen on a curved concrete shell, paired with load-bearing or clad granite block masonry.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete shell with steel tension ties and granite-clad shear walls.
- Spatial scale
- Monumental scale, with the main curved facade rising several stories above the natural rock base.
- Lighting
- Cool, diffused daylight with soft shadows, highlighting the texture of the granite blocks and the sharp silhouette of the curved roof.
- Atmosphere
- A solemn, enduring presence where heavy stone and dynamic curves meet the raw coastal landscape.
- Environmental context
- Perched directly on a rocky coastal or cliffside terrain under an open, clear sky.
- Spatial experience
- The building rises abruptly from a rugged, rocky outcrop, reading as a monumental, protective shield or sail facing the elements.
- Composition rhythm
- The sweeping curve of the main roofline contrasts with the stepped, vertical rhythm of the granite screen walls below.
- Style reading
- Late-twentieth-century expressive regionalism
- Program
- Museum or cultural pavilion
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture