March 13th, 2019 | Cool Homes
Cool Homes: Hanging Houses
This week, we’ll keep you hanging… on a cliff, while we explore how the quest for an unobstructed view has been faced over the centuries.
In fact, we can undoubtedly affirm that this is not a nowadays-mission in which architects and builders are fighting against each other to see who is able to design and raise the tallest building. Conversely, it’s been pursued from generation to generation. And while in big cities like our Toronto the fight for an unobstructed view seems to be endless, some ancient architects may have found the final answer to the dilemma. Indeed, over 500 years ago, they raised buildings on the cliffs of Cuenca, Spain, and named them Casas Colgadas (Hanging Houses).
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Unfortunately, only a few of these homes are still hanging there, with their layers of wooden balconies, emerging from the rock as if an extension of the cliffs.
But what are they used for? They are now home to a restaurant and an abstract art museum, founded in the 1960s, but over the years, they have served multiple purposes. They have been used as individual homes, as well as council houses.
Photo Credit: ABC
Even though these homes were built centuries ago, the man’s desire of living on a cliff with a clear and open view has not died. Old buildings like Casas Colgadas were taken as inspiration by contemporary architects. As a result, numerous modern homes were designed with that desire in mind. And if we combine it with The Bather, a painting by Picasso, we obtain House Holman, a villa hanging on the edge of a 70-metre high cliff in New South Wales, Australia.
If you are curious to see how Durbach Block Jaggers, the architects of House Holman, envisioned the life on a cliff, check out the gallery below!
Photo Credit: Durbach Block Jaggers
How cool would it be living on a cliff overlooking a valley, or the sea? Let us know in the comment section below, if you’d love to live in a historic home or if you’d prefer the comfort of modern living! We can’t decide!
Meanwhile, if you’ve got any Real Estate questions, get in touch with us, we’d be happy to help!
