Project Name: Son Blanc Hotel
Architecture: Atelier du Pont
Location: Torre Soli Nou, Spain
Area: 1078 m²
Year: 2023
Photo Credits: Maria Missaglia, Karel Balas
Son Blanc Hotel is located on a 130-hectare estate in an unspoiled and wild corner of the island of Menorca, with the sea in the background.
Set in an unspoiled wilderness, Son Blanc invents a new notion of travel. Set in the heart of a renovated traditional farmhouse, the project invites visitors to a unique immersive experience. A plunge into rural life, the beauty of the landscape, and traditional farming. A Garden of Eden where time slows down to the rhythm of the seasons, to savor the sweetness of the simple, precious things in life. Following the rhythm of Menorcan life, the estate leads the traveler along the path to well-being, based on exchange with the flora and fauna that surround it.
The renovation of the site began with the Finca, the main farmhouse, which was practically in ruins. Attention was paid to preserving the original structure and revealing the existing remarkable features, such as the vaults and arches. The spaces are vast, and open to nature, offering an ideal terrain for architectural expression.
The nature of the island inspired the project. In the creation of the interiors, the materials are clear, left mostly raw, and shaped into organic forms, consistent with their environment. Tidewater stone, wild olive wood, and clay are the main local materials used, marking each of Son Blanc’s fourteen rooms.
It’s in the volume of the Boyera (reception area, restaurant, and sports room) that the hotel’s identity is revealed, as the beams intertwine in a new graphic framework. The curved interior partitioning modulates and delimits the different spaces. In earthy texture, this wave is like a screen. It breaks with the geometry of the space, concealing technical areas and delimiting the building’s various functions.
Son Blanc Hotel is also about the many craftsmen who have worked to create the beauty of the place, creating furniture and artistic works specifically designed for the site. It’s a beautiful dialogue between architecture, nature, and craftsmanship.
With its overall ecological concept, Son Blanc has moved over the years towards energy, water, and food self-sufficiency. In fact, the 130-hectare site has returned to its original production function thanks to the implementation of regenerative and sustainable agriculture. From the soil to the plate, cultivation is conceived as a short-circuit ecosystem.
With creations by: Studio LER, Vincent Vincent, Danidevito Studio, Fuguet, Studio Koska, Cañadas Murua, Nuria Efe, Carpintería Gavila, Bonadona Terrissers, Ceràmica Cumella, Studio Perrine, Isaas Femenias Ferra, Eloi Schultz, Lucas Castex, Adriana Meunie et Jaume Roig, Contain, La Scourtinerie.
