The client, who serves as the director of a laboratory within a prominent concrete company, specifically requests a residence constructed primarily of concrete due to their extensive familiarity and expertise with the material, as well as its affordability and accessibility.
The challenge of using concrete arises from its technical advantages. This includes creating large spans, minimizing pillars, and introducing the prominent lintels that give the house its name. These lintels are large, suspended beams of the structure, serving as thresholds, doors, and also becoming the screens reflecting light from dramatic skylights for natural illumination.
Moreover, meticulous attention is given to the placement of these lintels within the interior spaces, deliberately offsetting them from the internal walls to dynamically alter the perception of spatial boundaries. This deliberate design strategy not only serves to optimize structural integrity but also enhances the architectural dialogue with the surrounding terrain, particularly the previously sculpted landscape of stone and earth.