CTZ2 House by Pepe Giner Arquitectos: Architecture Review

CTZ2 House by Pepe Giner Arquitectos is a 740 m² Mediterranean villa in Jávea, on Spain’s eastern coast, completed in 2022. It sits on a plot that falls steeply towards the south-east and looks over the bay of Portitxol, with Portitxol island to the north and the Punta del Cap Negre viewpoint to the south. Rather than flattening the site, the architects turned the slope into the main idea of the design: a stack of gently curved horizontal platforms that step down the hill and appear to float above the landscape. This review looks at the concept, plan, structure and materials of CTZ2 House, and then draws out lessons for building on sloping sites in Pakistan. It is an independent architectural review based on the architects’ published description, not an ACCO project.

The Site: A Difficult Slope with an Exceptional View

The plot at CTZ2 has two defining qualities. It is steep and rugged, which makes construction harder and more expensive. And it faces south, towards the Mediterranean, with long views across the bay. The architects describe how the orientation, geometry and slope of the plot shaped every major decision.

What might have been treated as a problem became the organising principle. The rugged topography is not hidden behind retaining walls and a flat podium; instead, the house is shaped to follow it. This approach often produces better buildings on hillsides, because it reduces excavation and makes the most of the natural view lines.

Design Concept: Floating Horizontal Platforms

The core idea of CTZ2 House is a series of curved platforms, staggered one above another so that they track the natural fall of the land. Seen from below, the south-east façade reads as a set of long, flowing horizontal lines. Against the landscape, the slabs seem almost weightless, as if they were levitating over the slope.

To make the most of the views, the architects lifted the day area of the house, including the main terrace and pool, so that it looks out over the bay rather than into the hillside. The platforms widen in the centre to form generous terraces and taper towards the edges, where they meet the boundaries and neighbouring conditions.

Inside and Outside as One Space

On every level, terraces wrap around a glass enclosure. The line between indoor rooms and outdoor space becomes blurred: living areas open directly onto shaded platforms, and the platforms in turn open to the sea. A curved pool at the edge of the main terrace continues the line of the slab towards the horizon, so the terrace appears to extend beyond its actual edge.

Landscape Woven Through the Building

A Mediterranean garden is planted on the terraces. Cypress trees are positioned so that they grow up through openings cut into the platforms. This small but clever detail ties the building to the landscape and emphasises the horizontal lines of the slabs with strong vertical accents.

Plan and Circulation

Visitors enter through a double-height space that acts as the hub for vertical movement through the house. At its centre is a sculptural staircase finished in black Marquina marble, which links the different levels and becomes a focal point visible from many parts of the interior.

The upper level contains the entrance hall and three bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own terrace with a sea view, so the private rooms share in the same relationship with the landscape as the living spaces.

Structure and Materials

The horizontal platforms are supported by a combination of two very different elements, which together give the house its character.

The contrast is deliberate. The heavy stone belongs to the ground; the thin columns and long slabs belong to the air. The interior palette adds black Marquina marble for the staircase, with furniture and lighting from Spanish manufacturers such as Andreu World and Vibia, and Cortizo window systems.

Light, Shade and the Mediterranean Climate

Jávea has hot, dry summers and mild winters, with strong sunshine for much of the year. The design of CTZ2 House manages this through its section rather than through screens or tinted glass. Each slab projects beyond the glass line of the floor below, so high summer sun is blocked while lower winter sun can reach further into the rooms. The terraces themselves become shaded outdoor rooms, which is where much of Mediterranean life takes place.

The planting reinforces this. A Mediterranean garden on the terraces softens the hard edges of the slabs, adds evaporative cooling and gives privacy between levels. The cypress trees growing through the platforms also cast moving shadows across the terraces during the day.

Privacy on a Visible Site

Hillside houses are often highly visible from below. At CTZ2, the horizontal slabs and planting filter views into the house, while the bedrooms on the upper level have their own terraces facing the sea rather than neighbours. This balance between openness and privacy is an important lesson for any house on a slope.

Hillside Design Approaches Compared

What Makes the Project Work

CTZ2 House succeeds because one clear idea is carried through consistently. The platforms define the form, the terraces, the views, the shading and the relationship with the garden. The structure supports that idea instead of competing with it. The result is a large house that feels light and calm rather than heavy.

The design also responds to climate. The deep overhanging slabs shade the glass beneath them from high summer sun, which is essential on a south-facing Mediterranean site. Terraces provide outdoor living space for most of the year.

Lessons for Pakistan

Pakistan has many sloping residential sites: in Islamabad near the Margalla Hills, in Murree, Abbottabad, Swat, the Galiyat and parts of Rawalpindi. Too often, houses on these plots are designed as if the ground were flat, with deep cuts, tall retaining walls and blank walls facing the view. CTZ2 House points to a better way.

Deep overhangs and shaded glass are just as useful in Pakistan’s hot summers as on the Mediterranean coast. On hill sites, a geotechnical investigation and a structural engineer experienced in slopes are essential before design is fixed, and the architect should be registered with the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners. ACCO’s luxury and custom home service handles bespoke designs of this kind.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

Large, highly glazed houses need careful thermal design in Pakistan, where summer temperatures in the plains are far higher than in Jávea and winters in the hills are colder. Glass should be shaded, double-glazed where appropriate and placed away from the harshest west sun. Long cantilevered slabs and slender columns demand precise engineering and good-quality construction, and in seismic zones the structural system may need to be heavier than in Spain. Dry stone construction also requires skilled masons, who are not available everywhere. For a related approach on a tropical hillside, see our review of House with a View by Studio Saxe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

CTZ2 House by Pepe Giner Arquitectos shows how a steep, awkward plot can become the source of a building’s identity. Its staggered platforms, dry stone walls and wrap-around terraces create a house that follows the land and opens fully to the sea. The same thinking can help homeowners in Pakistan’s hill areas build safer, more beautiful houses. To discuss a sloping or unusual plot, see ACCO’s house design and construction services.