Bora Headquarters, Spain

Designed by SAOTA, with interiors by ARRCC and RyS Architects, this relaxed, resort style Mallorca home, overlooking the Port d’Andratx, features free flowing design, which dissolves the threshold between interior and exterior, maximising the experience of luxury outdoor living. The steep, sloping site required careful placement of the building to provide comfortable pedestrian and vehicular access. Its length allows for the creation of a linear terraced building, with rooms on both the terrace and bedroom level offering uninterrupted views.

The linear arrangement is interspersed with green spaces on both levels, with stone walls acting as holding elements at either end of the building. The three bedroom blocks on the upper level are separated with lush courtyards, all tied together by the steel holding edge beams. Traditional, curved, tiled roofs found in the area were the inspiration for the exterior upper eaves and internal gallery, where the forms are reinterpreted as a series of stone vaults. Overall the building is a fusion of contemporary style with regional influences, and is layered with materials, such as plaster, stone, wooden pergolas and shutters, aluminium and large expanses of glass.

The entrance courtyard leads to the main living level, which opens onto a shaded outdoor terrace, raised half a level above the pool. Internally, it is arranged as a series of individual open plan spaces with a seamless flow between indoors and outdoors. The pergolas and tree canopies control sunlight and create a gentle dappled glow, while the bedrooms on the upper level open onto a light filled gallery with the signature barrel vaulted ceilings.

The building reflects a passive design approach with deep overhangs, sliding shutters, screens and recessed doors and windows with natural light and ventilation flooding the interior spaces, while the interiors are neutral and understated with accents of textured and hand-crafted pieces to create a balance between comfort and elegance, dotted with artwork from the client’s private collection.