Search

Jellyfish House by Wiel Arets Architects

Situated right on the coast of Spain in Marbella, the Jellyfish House, designed by Wiel Arets Architects (WAA), utilizes a cantilevered design so that when the homeowners are on the top floor the views of the ocean can always be seen.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-2

The cantilevered design holds something pretty unique – a pool on the roof with a glass bottom. The blueness of the water through the glass creates a beautiful ceiling to the outdoor space below.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-3

Spread out over four floors, the home has two staircases set up to circulate between them – a fast and a slow set of stairs. The fast stairs, which are enclosed in glass, take you from the exterior straight up to the roof, while the slow stairs are outfitted with long treads and short risers and span the length of the house, from ground floor to the roof. The slow stairs are open to the outdoor elements but are still on the interior.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-4

The house has five bedrooms, with two guest bedrooms on the bottom level that get their own private terrace.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-5

The structure of the home is made up of poured concrete that’s supported by one column at the rear edge of the pool, and several smaller columns near the rear dining terrace. The rest of the walls are made up of windows allowing the sun’s light to filter in.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-6-dining-room

Accordion doors open up the interiors to the outdoor space, expanding the square footage.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-9

Jellyfish-House-WAA-7-pool

With all staircases leading to the top, the oasis that houses the magnificent pool sits on the roof and cantilevers out 9 meters towards the southwest.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-8

The pool has an infinity edge making you feel like you’re connected to the ocean out in the distance.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-8a

Jellyfish-House-WAA-10

Those people sitting below can be voyeurs watching the people swim up above.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-11

Jellyfish-House-WAA-12

Jellyfish-House-WAA-13

Jellyfish-House-WAA-14

A window on the interior also lets those in the kitchen watch the swimmers.

Jellyfish-House-WAA-15

Photos by Jan Bitter.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.