The Fig Tree house

The house is carefully inserted between the slope and the fig tree, preserving it and giving it a central role. The daytime program is located on the semi-basement level, directly connected to the garden.

A small ground-floor volume allows for a double-height living room, enhancing views of the fig tree and visually integrating it into the interior. At the same time, it creates a buffer toward the adjacent three-story building.

The space between the two volumes forms the entrance: an outdoor patio from the street that incorporates the tree and preserves visual connections.

The house embraces the natural slope between the street and garden, placing the main living areas—living, dining, kitchen, and a flexible play zone—in direct continuity with the outdoor space, minimizing earthworks.

The rest of the dwelling, designed for two adults and two children, is organized into rooms of equal size arranged around a central staircase, sharing a single bathroom.

Flexible, undefined spaces allow for multiple uses: a room on the entrance level can serve as an office, study, or guest room, while the garden level includes a shared multipurpose area.

The surrounding buildings are modest and unpretentious, often with a self-built character.

The project responds with an honest construction system of load-bearing concrete block walls with insulation, finished externally with a rendered insulation system on the upper level.

Building heights align with neighboring structures from both street and garden perspectives.

Preserving the century-old fig tree is the project's primary environmental gesture.

Porches and balconies provide summer shading, while traditional rope blinds regulate solar exposure.

The thermal mass of concrete and block walls enhances energy performance, and the courtyard promotes natural cross-ventilation, resulting in a passive, environmentally responsive home.