Zenith House, a newly completed holiday home in Menorca, embodies an organic connection with the island’s arid terrain. Designed by Nomo Studio, the single-storey home is enveloped in a terracotta render, creating a seamless blend with the surrounding landscape of pines and Mediterranean vegetation.
Located in the northeast of Menorca, this 300-square-metre house integrates six bedrooms, spacious living and dining areas, as well as both indoor and outdoor kitchens. It prioritizes natural light and a connection to the outdoors, featuring multiple patios and a large garden.
Terracotta Render Enhances the Building’s Geometry
The structure of Zenith House is built around eight square modules, forming a “permeable system” of solid and void spaces. This design allows natural light to flood the interior, creating an environment that is both open and intimate. The layout includes two patio areas and a garden near the main bedroom, filled with local, drought-resistant plants such as cacti.
Drawing inspiration from the island’s dry landscape, the home’s exterior is entirely finished in a simple terracotta pigment. Nomo Studio founder Alicia Casals explains, “The facade’s earthy colour seeks to blend with the rather arid landscape. Walls and roofs are all finished in the same simple render in order to emphasise the geometry.”
Strategic Roof Design and Light-Infused Interiors
Zenith House features an innovative roof design with green flat roofs alternating with pitched, four-sided roofs. Skylights atop these structures allow daylight to flow into the home, giving the property its name. The interior design emphasizes simplicity, with materials like white concrete block masonry, limestone floors, and wood joinery in okoume and travertine.
The studio also strategically placed vertical openings on some walls, allowing shafts of light to penetrate deep into the building. These gaps also function as bathroom windows, providing natural ventilation and light without compromising privacy.
Inside the Home: A Focus on Natural Materials
While the exterior exudes a clean, unified look, the interior of Zenith House embraces natural textures. The use of materials in soft, warm tones enhances the overall experience. Casals notes, “The choice for natural materials, mostly in the range of soft warm tones, enhances the different textures.”
A large swimming pool extends towards the sea in the garden, further integrating the home into its surroundings.
Zenith House’s Design Focus: Intimacy with Nature
The architects took great care in placing Zenith House on a narrowing plot, maximizing sea views while also maintaining a strong connection to the surrounding garden. “Our design approach was to entangle nature and house in a way that the landscape experience would not be only focused on the sea views but also on an intimate relationship with the garden,” added Casals.
Nomo Studio’s past Menorcan projects include a stepped villa with terraces and Shift House, a tiered holiday home with a fluted concrete facade.