Project Name: Can Manuel d’en Corda.
Location: Vénda des Cap de Barbaría. Formentera. SPAIN
Client: Private
Architects: Marià Castelló +  Daniel Redolat
Collaborators: Marga Ferrer, Agustí Yern, Albert Yern, Sonia Iben Jellal, Ferran Juan and Javier Colomar
Constructor: Construcciones Pep Sala S.L.
Project: 2008-2012
Area: 595,3 m2
Photography: Estudi Es Pujol de s’Era

The story of Can Manuel d'en Corda is a very happy one. In a stunning plot in Vénda des Cap de Barbariain in the West of the picturesque island of Formentera, Spain, sits a traditional and pretty special house called Can Manuel de'n Corda. The house, which encapsulates the domestic vernacular architecture developed in Formentara between the late eighteenth and mid nineteenth centuries, was crying out for some tender love and care. Sitting pretty, surrounded by a forest of pines and junipers, it sat tight, waiting to be noticed and transformed. And one day, that's just what happened.

Architects Marià Castelló and Daniel Redolat realized the potential of Can Manuel de'n Corda and set out to preserve the house, whilst adding volume to create a home that embraces its location without necessarily impacting its habitat. Whilst the house's common areas have been maintained, the limited palette of materials used in the design, acts in turn to showcase the house's traditional features. And so alcoves, stone walls, sloping ceilings and striking beams really stand out in the fresh minimal scheme. Like the original beams, the external joinery is made from solid iroko wood, and additions such as a striking steel fire place in the living room really complement this home's existing character. The featured furniture includes Mediterranean design classics such as the Torres Clavé armchairs and Miquel Mila Cesta luminaire, as well as the traditional esparto skating chairs made by local artisans, thus enhancing the sense of this house's rustic native roots.

Light and air flow from one room into another, making Can Manuel d'en Corda a perfect retreat from the Formentera sun. The design itself has developed the original architecture whilst adding new features that really make the most of the house's magnificent position. The design fully utilizes the outside space with an assortment of inviting areas that feel both calm and relaxed. So where the polished concrete used outside reflects the sunlight like the water in the incredible pool., outside courtyards provide a number of interlaced retreats and seating areas in which to unwind.  The viewing platform on the extension's flat roof provides the perfect abode from which to admire the idyllic landscape. Taking the house’s environment into account, native plants ensure that the house develops into the landscape with time. Keeping the original northeastern and southeastern facades intact, the architects have ensured that the new openings that have been created, invite the outside landscape into the building. This home has become a dream island retreat, with the extension offering incredible sweeping views over Northwest Formentera and the island of Es Vedra, an iconic part of the southern skyline of neighbouring Ibiza.

The renovation of Can Manuel d'en Corda is a striking juxtaposition of the tradition combined with modern design. This strikingly renovated yet still unobtrusive house sits still and calm in its perfect location under Formentera's blue sky, and will continue to - happily ever after.