The Superhouse is located in a quiet, private bay on an undisclosed Mediterranean island. The brief for this house was to design a large family home with a sense of understated luxury. The clients’ wish list included an open living space that seamlessly blended the outside with the inside, as well as maximised its location by the sea. Acting like a retreat for the clients, they wanted the house to have the feeling of a luxury private resort, without the coldness and impersonal nature that often comes with it. Part of this meant housing their own personal treasures: a large collection of contemporary art and a substantial classic car collection. These luxuries would need to sit alongside comfortable bedrooms and guest suites, and be complemented by a jetty for the clients’ 30m sailing yacht that would often be moored in the bay. The design concept is very simple: two L-shaped stone walls cradle the house; within these enclosing walls there are two distinct timber volumes containing separate functions. The first contains service elements such as kitchen, stores, and staff accommodation. The kitchen and dining area are separated by sliding screens that can sink into the floor to completely disappear and open up the two spaces. This enables a more open plan when the house is in “family mode”, but the kitchen can also be completely closed off when entertaining. The second volume contains a spa and gym. Again, sliding screens are used to allow the volume to open up and really connect the internal spa and gym spaces to the external areas. There is a staircase leading up to the master suite above, allowing the clients to descend directly for morning exercise and a swim. The two volumes, clad in hardwood timber, define the more open living space between them. The main facade to the living area uses minimally framed glazing that can be opened up completely, with the sliding windows being hidden within the adjacent service volumes. The column-free facade allows an unobstructed integration of internal and external environments. A deep overhang above allows for solar shading to minimise overheating and reliance on artificial air-conditioning. In the centre of the main living area is a double-height space with a circular sunken seating area, in which there is a suspended fireplace, hung from the ceiling two storeys above. The vertical flue emphasises the double-height connection through this otherwise low and horizontal house. The upper storey reads as one long volume that spans between the two service elements below. Access is via an elegant floating staircase, leading to the master suite at one end of the house, and four junior suites at the other. Between these two ends there is a large gallery space where one can circulate around the central void. This gallery is home to the clients’ contemporary art collection of large canvases and substantial sculptures. The owner’s office is also located on the first floor, and this is the only space where we have denied a view of the sea - a deliberate decision so as to separate work from pleasure, but also to protect the art collection from UV exposure. The house is built from in-situ cast concrete. This ensures that it is durable and can withstand its exposed location. For external walls, the concrete is mixed with a ground white marble aggregate, which is then polished to achieve the final finish. This gives an incredibly smooth and hardwearing surface that has a shimmer and sparkle to it; the smooth surface also self-cleans with rain.