The World’s best house! We made the top 12

Welcome to ‘Where Eagles Dare’, an uber villa perched on a cliff edge overlooking Port d’Andratx, Mallorca.

Inspired in name by the all-star 1968 film ‘Where Eagles Dare’, this hilltop location commands sublime views over the yachts of Mallorca’s Port d’Andratx, considered by many to be the ‘loveliest harbour in the Mediterranean’.

That was the central concept of this project; to deliver a villa with the best possible 360 degree panoramic views, while maintaining the client’s privacy. The villa is anchored into the rock and ‘floats’ off the side of the mountain, thanks to a dramatic 7m cantilever.

Access to the house is from the rear of the property, through a Mediterranean square paved with local stone and enriched with native vegetation. Inside, the lounge opens completely to the stunning views of the entire bay and valley, with minimal separation between the interior and exterior, echoed by the courtyard’s infinity pool, pulling the sea and horizon closer to the ground floor, with lounge-dining room, kitchen and an entertainment room.

‘Where Eagles Dare’ is one of a dozen buildings worldwide to be nominated to a shortlist for ‘World’s Best House’ in the Villa del World Architecture Festival’.

MD OF DANIEL JAMES GROUP

Soaring off the cliff edge is the “Eagle”, a first floor containing the bedrooms, each with their own balconies; above is the roof terrace of impressive proportions to entertain and relax even the most demanding of resident. All floors are connected by a central core, with glass elevator and floating staircase.

In the basement, a garage, a gymnasium and a small spa are all illuminated by soft light from the pool, thanks to clear methacrylate walls above.

Local materials allow the futuristic design to blend into it’s surroundings, with gardens of traditional Mallorcan stone terraces and rich vegetation, lining paths of different heights and viewpoints.

The Krion coating provides lightness to the design, with a ground floor mostly made from glass and ventilated “frozen”glass wall facades. in contrast, the basement is covered with the same stone as the mountain, causing an otherwise substantial construction to disappear into the hillside.

Working in partnership with Gras Architects, the 1000m² house has been built to the highest standards of sustainability: passive insulation, ventilated facades and total rejection of rainwater and greywater for irrigation. The building’s overhangs, combined with the position of the house on the hilltop, make the house extremely efficient in summer, providing shade and cross ventilation throughout to reduce energy consumption on air conditioning.