Project Name: Villa W

Location: La Massana, Andorra

Design Team: Architecture MR

Total Floor Area: 1,063 m²

Completion: 2024

Photography: Pablo Garcia Esparza

Manufacturers: Saltoki Home

Lead Architect: Marc Rubi

Feature: Architecture MR has created an extraordinary Villa W residence in La Massana, Andorra, perfectly embodying the sophisticated fusion of contextual architecture and deep environmental integration. Located at this prominent mountainous landscape position, the project seamlessly integrates contemporary architectural innovation with ecological sensitive design, establishing what the architects describe as "a living organism that breathes in rhythm with nature."

The project's most striking design feature lies in its four-level cascading composition that ingeniously follows the natural slope from street to forest. This dynamic layout creates unique dialogues between each space and the environment, from social areas on the lower levels to night quarters on the upper level, opening through a south-facing perimeter terrace where the landscape becomes the architectural protagonist. The rhythmic composition not only establishes strong spatial hierarchy but also introduces time-changing light and shadow effects, transforming the architecture into a "living surface."

The architectural strategy ingeniously employs a double-height living room as the project's central hub. A sculptural travertine fireplace serves as a spatial separator, dramatically dividing interior functions from an innovative multifunctional water feature. This central water element functions both as a swimming pool and as a scenographic space for events, with light reflected on the water creating captivating atmospheric changes that evolve throughout the day and seasons within the interior.

The staircase design throughout the building becomes a spatial experiential journey, changing shape and material as it ascends, becoming a guiding thread that accompanies movement. This is not just a functional connection, but a spatial experience lived in transition between lights, shadows, and textures. The lower levels accommodate the most social spaces: guest area, cinema, interactive garage, and a multipurpose space that connects with a vertical garden.

The entrance design is excavated into the ground, preserving an original slate rock that emerges as a natural sculpture, reminding of the site's origin and reinforcing the timeless character of the architecture. Villa W strengthens the connection between construction and landscape through the use of local materials and replanting of native vegetation, allowing the house to evolve over time. Every shadow, every reflection, every seasonal change becomes part of the living experience, transforming architecture into a living organism that adapts, listens, and blends with its surroundings.

Design Team - Architecture MR stands as a pioneering architectural laboratory in Andorra, established in 2006 by two visionary founders united by an ambitious philosophy: not to believe in the limitations of small architecture. Under the continued leadership of principal architect Marc Rubi, this multidisciplinary firm has evolved into a big family driven by unique values, with each member contributing their own expertise.

The firm's design philosophy believes in an architectural model where, without neglecting function, architecture must convey feelings and emotions. They feel strongly aligned with the rationalist movement of the last century, with architects such as Philip Johnson and Mies van der Rohe as key references. The shift toward iconic architecture at the beginning of this century, in many aspects, has left behind function—resulting in buildings that ignore place, cost or program.

Architecture MR's technical team includes professionals from different specialties, from creative design to technical execution across all phases. They believe the best result can only be achieved by being part of the entire architectural process. Team members span multiple professional fields including architects, technical architects, interior designers, architectural photographers, structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, and MEP engineers.

Recent accolades include multiple international design recognitions, with the studio's practice approach emphasizing thorough site analysis and client collaboration to create architecture that successfully balances contemporary innovation with timeless design principles while fostering deep connections between people and space. Architecture MR's architectural language is founded on values of rationalism, emotional expression, and environmental integration, creating architectural works that are both rooted in place and embrace global architectural design standards through the transformative power of thoughtful design innovation.