Contemporary house in Andorra Pyrenees
Location: Andorra la Vella, Principality of Andorra. GFA: 580 sqm.
Architectural concept
exposed board-formed concrete
Nestled within a forested alpine valley on the outskirts of the Andorran capital, this 580 sqm private residence stands as one of the most considered luxury commissions our studio has undertaken in the high-altitude Pyrenean context. The client - a discerning individual with a deep appreciation for European product design and a desire to live in genuine harmony with the mountain landscape - gave us a mandate that was as clear as the mountain air itself: create a home that feels simultaneously of its place and entirely apart from the ordinary. The result is a composition of exposed board-formed concrete volumes, dark metal cladding, and floor-to-ceiling glazing that reads from the garden as something between a sculptural object and a natural outcrop.
Spatial organisation
The plan unfolds across two principal levels, with a recessed lower volume anchoring the residence to the hillside and an upper storey cantilevering generously toward the alpine panorama. On the ground floor, a long gallery corridor - clad in rich dark timber and animated by fresh flowers and curated art - connects the concealed hidden sliding-panel kitchen to the principal living areas. We proposed this kitchen-in-a-wall typology specifically at the client's request: a fully equipped culinary space that disappears behind floor-to-ceiling dark wood panels when the evening calls for a cleaner, more ceremonial atmosphere. The professional kitchen itself features walnut-veneer cabinetry in natural tones, integrated appliances, and a generous island that makes both intimate family dinners and larger gatherings feel effortless.
The upper level is dominated by a spectacular double-height games and lounge salon - its bamboo-tube acoustic ceiling installation casting warm, dappled light across cream bouclé sofas and a glass-legged billiard table. Panoramic windows on three sides frame the surrounding conifer forests and snow-capped ridgelines, dissolving the boundary between interior warmth and exterior grandeur.
Materials and climate
aged brushed oak planking
Our studio selected every finish in direct dialogue with the Andorran mountain context. Flooring throughout the principal zones uses wide-format aged brushed oak planking, its tonal variation echoing the pine and fir forests that surround the site. In the master bathroom, honey-toned Pyrenean onyx stone clads every surface - steps, vanity, sunken bathing platform - creating a thermal mass element that holds warmth through cold winter mornings while glowing with extraordinary luminosity when afternoon light crosses the snow-framed window. Concrete, granite, and local slate appear at structural and external junctions, grounding the home in the geology of the principality.
Bioclimatic strategy
Andorra la Vella sits at approximately 1,000 metres elevation, with winters that regularly bring temperatures well below zero and snow accumulation measured in metres. Our bioclimatic response was non-negotiable in its ambition. The building's primary glazed facades are oriented south and south-west to capture maximum solar gain during the long heating season, while deep roof overhangs and projecting concrete soffits provide natural solar shading across the mild summer months of June through September. Triple-glazed curtain wall systems with thermally broken frames were specified throughout, eliminating cold-bridge risk at every junction. Thermal mass floor-plate strategy - combining a concrete structural slab with underfloor hydronic heating embedded at every level - ensures that collected solar energy is stored and released gradually, reducing peak demand and sustaining comfort through the coldest nights without mechanical overreach.
Energy and sustainability
Passive house principles informed every layer of the building envelope. External wall assemblies achieve insulation values appropriate to the mountain continental climate zone, with mineral wool and vapour-controlled membranes protecting the structure across its full surface. A ground-source heat pump provides the primary heating load for the hydronic floor system, supplemented by a mechanical ventilation unit with high-efficiency heat recovery - ensuring that fresh mountain air circulates continuously without thermal penalty. Photovoltaic panels integrated discreetly into the flat roof geometry contribute to domestic energy production, aligning the project with Andorra's evolving green building ambitions and the client's own commitment to ecological responsibility.
Landscape
The outdoor season at this altitude is concentrated and precious - roughly four months of genuinely hospitable exterior life. Our studio responded by designing the rooftop terrace as a fully equipped outdoor room: teak deck boarding, a built-in barbecue counter, a ceramic egg-smoker, teak-framed lounge chairs, and a generous day-bed oriented toward the Pyrenean ridgeline. The ground-level pool terrace is framed by alpine meadow planting - wild grasses, narcissus, and low juniper - species selected for resilience and authenticity rather than artifice. Pine cones fall from the surrounding forest onto the pool surround, and we would not change a single one.
In this project, luxury is expressed not in excess but in the precise calibration of silence, warmth, and mountain light.
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