Architecture is always connected to the place it occupies, integrated into the setting and the environment. The place conceals the nucleus of the project, linked to its memory. All the projects emerge from an in-depth consideration of the place, its context, landscape and light.
Our architecture evokes the senses, creating a multi-sensory experience. All the senses come into play when creating the architectural experience: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and even taste, paired with the culinary experience. Developing a sixth sense or intuition, closely connected to our emotional intelligence.
We understand architecture as a constant equilibrium between reason and emotion. That’s why we strive to create experiences that make the act of inhabiting a pleasant sensation, bringing us as close as possible to happiness in absolute terms.
Strongly rooted in Classical architecture, the origin of architecture in the West. All the works of ARK refer in some way to this architecture, reinterpreting it with new forms of expression and our own contemporary language, as a constant source of inspiration for our projects. At the same time we have a deep respect and interest in Asian culture and the way it understands shapes, light, spaces, architecture and its environment, as well as the relationship with gardens, creating the so-called Zen space.
There is an intimate relationship between architecture and gardens. The garden becomes an element linking architecture and the natural landscape surrounding it.
“I like designing houses that look like gardens and gardens that look like houses” L. Barragán
All our projects centre on the garden and the landscape in an attempt to dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior. The design of our gardens draws from East and West, with Zen philosophy as a cornerstone of their creation, interacting with the architecture, seeking an equilibrium with the native flora.
Light becomes an element which creates spaces, using light as the most valued material. In this way, architecture is materialised through light.
We create a visual intensity marked by horizontality, trying to frame the exteriors with a cinematographer’s eye.
We have a humanist conception of architecture, placing the human being/customer at the centre of everything. The project must be a custom fit, helping them aspire to happiness.
“Architecture is, above all, the creation of a setting for people” Álvaro Liza.
The goal is to push through the boundaries of function, while still fulfilling it, in order to aspire to the sublime and emotional, beauty in absolute terms.
We build with light and matter, hence the vital importance of these two concepts for ARK. That’s why we prefer natural materials like stone, wood, glass, steel, bronze, etc., in their purest and most exquisite forms. Materials which speak to us of time and timelessness, an aspiration in our designs.
Each material has its own tactile quality and reflects the light in a different way, allowing us to differentiate each project as a unique and exclusive work of art, which can convey emotions that transcend every level.
