Vivir en la Dehesa del Generalife

The Dehesa del Generalife is a landscape of water infrastructure. Located at the north of the Alhambra it is a very dry Andalusian hill but shaped and optimized for the conduction and the capture of water for the gardens and the palaces of the Alhambra and Generalife. From the aljibe of the summit, to the norias, and the long channels integrated along the steep sides, water is the main landscape and historic characteristic of this place. I realised this project during my Erasmus year in Granada on the last year of bachelor.

The project is a residence and investigation centre for history and geographic studies. It is conceived as an autarchic and contemplative place. The project is structured along the main stairs which are also the place of distribution of the water, starting from an alberca on the entrance, an almost spiritual space made of shadows, water reflection and sound and going down through the whole building to end up in one of the existing historic channels of the hill.

The volumes of the buildings are sliding along the spine and integrating to the topography to offer maximal views and terraces while having a minimal mass impact on the place.