Jorn Utzon lived with this wife Lis on the island of Majorca, and their first home there was built in the early 1970’s. However, almost 20 years later, the Utzons decided to build another house, Villa Can Feliz which would serve as the home for their retirement. The decision to build this house was fueled by many reasons as the glare from the sea caused discomfort to Utzon and he wanted a house that was more secure, nestled by the side of the mountain, far away from the pounding surf.
Can Feliz prominently displays Utzon’s love for platform, and it seems to rise out of the site, carved out of the local sandstone which is known as the mares stone. This stone varies in accordance to the Mediterranean sun between the colours Pink and Gold.
which is in a way the highlight of the house.
The living quarters open out onto the swimming pool and
court area by means of stairs, which gives a feeling of descent out into the open.
PARTI REPRESENTATIONS (1:200)
This parti was an attempt to study the GEOMETRY on the spaces in the villa. It is interesting to note that Utzon chose to stick by two generic shapes, i.e. the square and the rectangle and likewise has used that to define the function of the space. He has made use of squares which gives a person the impression of stability and security, whereas the rectangle has been used for corridors and courts which induces curiosity to move forward.
In the CIRCULATION parti, I have highlighted the accessibility from one space to another. All the living spaces are interconnected to each other in the public and semi-public areas, making it very busy. These areas also have access to the direct outside. Whereas in the case of the private quarters, it is less busy and interconnected than the rest of the house.
The STRUCTURE parti shows us that the main skeleton of the villa seems to be one with the site on which it sits. It is quite noticeable how the structure is more solid on the back but opens out in the front, much like the slopes on the site. It in a way explains to us that most of view is out in the front.
The degree of ENCLOSURE is defined by the number of access points to the outer spaces. In my enclosure parti I have highlighted just that, by using bold lines for where there is absolutely no access, thin lines to show that there is only visual access and not physical, and gaps to depict that movement can be brought about through that point.
POCHE RENDERINGS (1:100)
BUILDING MODEL (1:100)
This overall view of the model gives us a brief idea as to the contours with
which we had to work with. The entire villa is structured around these levels
and has varying platforms, all descending down to the open-swimming pool area.
The section cut was made across these contours to depict clearly
the essence of the house, and demarcate the separation between
the public and private spaces.
This view shows how the platforms descend down, and give
the viewer from this point the illusion of the house rising off the ground.
The entrance to the house is towards the back, and is through a
series of colonnades, this leads on to the public spaces i.e. the
living room and study.
The strong geometry that is prevalent throughout the building
is evident in the articulation of the building as well.
A view of the study and the living area.
The windows were framed in such a way that made the light seem to radiate
from the outside as the framework of the windows were on the outside.
The section cut separating the public quarters from the rest.
This view shows clearly the series of steps which lead to the outside from
the semi-private quarters, the kitchen, dining, and living rooms R-L.
These spaces have been classified as semi-private as they are connected to
the outside both visually and literally.
The windows in this phase of the house are characteristic to the purpose
it was defined for, as they are both huge and enhance the view on the outside.
As mentioned before, it is clearly visible that the frames are on the outside.
The roof plane and the ceiling are individual of each other, the ceiling
is vaulted as shown in the figure.
The same vaulted roof is carried out to the open corridor too.
A view of both the semi-private and private quarters.
The private quarters open out into courts too, however there is
no direct access to them unlike the semi-private spaces.
