The effect of the light
[PALMA | On 23 March last, La Almudaina, supplement of Diario de Mallorca, published the chronicle «The Effect of Light» on this fantastic penthouse for sale In Monapart Palma, located in El Terreno, with unique views of the sea, the Paseo Marítimo and the Bay of Palma.
LA ALMUDAINA (DAILY NEWSPAPER OF MALLORCA) | 23.03.2014 | ESTEBAN MERCER
Today we show you a duplex penthouse situated on Palma's Paseo Marítimo, managed by Monapart, of which Tete Crespí Bennàssar, architect at the Niu studio, is a part. Monapart uses, with the support of top-tier architectural professionals, a new way of communicating high-quality or uniquely distinctive properties. They are succeeding. The 140m2 built-area duplex penthouse with a 90m2 terrace, comprising three bedrooms, two of them en suite, two bathrooms and a cloakroom, on a true sixth floor with a lift, concierge, two monitored parking spaces, a swimming pool and a communal garden area, can be unreservedly considered an authentic must. Perfectly south-east facing, all rooms are very bright. Light is the first of the variable conditions that influence architecture. Light is one of the conditions that surround architecture, but it can also be used as an element.
Sunlight is the dominant medium through which people experience architecture; but light, both natural and artificial, can be manipulated by design to identify specific places and give them a specific character. If we consider architecture as sculpture, we will conclude that it is precisely light that allows us to see it and appreciate its forms. If we think of architecture as the identification of place, we will distinguish between bright places and dark places, places illuminated by a soft, uniform light, whilst others are characterised by strong luminosity and very marked shadows; places with dappled light and others where the light is continuously but subtly changing, places, such as theatres, where there is a sharp contrast between brightness, the stage or place where the action takes place, and darkness, the auditorium or place intended for the public...
Light can be related to the activity of a place. More so in Palma, facing the sea, where work life and holidays combine, on more than one occasion without us being aware of it. For each activity, the most appropriate type of resulting light can be found to carry it out. Light changes and can be altered. The light of the sky varies through the cycles of night and day, and also throughout the different seasons of the year; sometimes it arrives softened or diffused by the presence of clouds. Variations in light can be stimulating. Natural light can be exploited to define places. Its qualities can be deliberately altered by design, varying the way the sun's rays penetrate the building. Some houses open to the sky allow the entry of a faint, almost religious light that illuminates the home.
Le Corbusier sought a similar effect in the three small side chapels, enveloping them in a soft light reflected against the rough white whitewash of the walls. These are his famous Chapels of Ronchamp. In this house, too, light is used wisely, whether relaxing or stimulating. On the first floor of the penthouse is a spacious living room, connected to the dining room and kitchen, with access to the main terrace and the guest toilet. The dining room, with constant northern light, has views over the rear park. The kitchen, large and high-end, is highly functional and its location allows it to serve different parts of the house. The two bedrooms on this floor are en suite, one of them with a large separate dressing room. The bathrooms are spacious and finished with noble, elegant materials.
On the second floor of the duplex is the third bedroom, which is a versatile space that can also be used as a second living room. This space connects to the fantastic and enormous terrace with unique views of the sea, the Paseo Marítimo and the Bay of Palma. The terrace is very well designed for enjoyment, of the light and the shadows of the night. With wooden decking, perimeter planters and folding sun awnings, it is a major feature of the property, which is situated in an isolated building within an open block, built in 1991, with six storeys, a lift and four neighbours per floor, offering a gift of freedom.
