50 DIGS.NET
| 11.4.22
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P R O F I L E | E N S A M B L E S T U D I O
the confrontation between essentialism
and convenience. C'an Terra is a chal-
lenge. Can a space be an expression of
the former but enjoy the latter? Yes, but
not in a conventional sense. Convenience
in this context is liberation, a freedom from
want, from more. A dwelling stripped bare
is somehow all the more reassuring and
serviceable in its austerity.
The architects' brilliantly calculated stone
cuts throughout the dwelling make for flex-
ible, transitory spaces and also support
domestic functions. Low rock walls provide
seating, walls hold up a hammock, and
rough stone placed under shafts of natu-
ral light incubate new growth. Utilitarian
pieces, meanwhile, from streamlined metal
tables, stone planters and floor cushions
placed against or inside crevices of
cavern walls are unintrusive.
C'an Terra is an interaction with the archi-
tecture of Earth itself. But, the architects
say, "In lieu of the imposing action that
we often exert on the environment," say
the architects, "we propose a trip to the
interior being of matter, and recognize the
beauty of the spaces that are waiting to
be lived. This is a project that boldly seeks
a balance between nature and artifice,
between histories and times, between
people and the environment." ensamble.
info, @EnsambleStudio
series of casted slabs that follow the topog-
raphy of the cave and mixes cement with
Mares powder to create a new stone. Solar
panels, a septic tank and water cistern
enable its use off the grid." All is why, they
continue, "the discovery is considered a
new work, destined this time to become a
room to contemplate nature."
A new work, of the old world, in an unvar-
nished context. Compelling connection
and reconnection, C'an Terra is a stark
and ascetic form—a completely primal
environment that returns us, once more,
to nature. In it, one realizes just how far
they've strayed. The structure also forces
