Oriel Canyon

Above the city

Below the sky

The Canyon House seen across its pool in late afternoon light, with the city and ocean below. The same house at blue hour, lit from within, with the city lights below.
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Nine villas

One canyon

A private collection
in the Almar Hills

Nine houses of glass and white stone, set into the dry hills above Port Almar.

Villas
9
Residence types
4
Above the sea
310 m
To Arroyo Beach
11 min

Three reasons

The long view

The pool and the dry hills seen from the upper loggia.

Every house faces southwest. The city lies below, the ocean beyond it, and nothing stands in between.

Unbroken sightlines from every plot

Glass and stone

The roof, the loggia and the glass front of the Canyon House.

White walls, pale limestone and glass from floor to ceiling. The rooms open to the terrace, the terrace to the pool.

Built as one continuous space

A quiet road

The arrival court with its olive trees and the open gate.

One private road, one gate, nine houses. It ends in an olive court and there is no through traffic.

Gated, with a private trail to the ridge

We drew the roof first. Everything under it is glass, and everything beyond it is the view.
Ines Varga, architect
The house seen from the hillside below, its roof reaching out over the terrace and the pool.

Location

Four minutes up from the canyon floor. Eleven down to the sea.

Oriel Canyon sits in the Almar Hills, 310 m above the water. The site faces southwest. The sun sets over the ocean, in line with the pools.

Dry hills, open water, long light

The view from the upper loggia over the pool to the city and ocean.

The Almar Hills

Mornings are clear and still. In the afternoon the light turns warm and the wind comes up the canyon from the water.

Down the canyon, to the sea

Oriel Canyon from the air: nine villas of four designs along one road that climbs the dry hillside from the gate to the olive court.

Site plan

Nine plots, one road

Each villa has its own plot and its own pool. Every pool faces southwest, and no two houses share a sightline.

The Terrace House: two long levels beside a terrace and a pool that runs toward the ocean. The Canyon House: two levels under one roof that reaches out over the upper loggia. The Bridge House: two white wings joined by a glass bridge, the pool running out between them. The Ridge House: three levels stepping down the slope, the pool on the middle terrace.

Choose a villa on the plan, or a type above.

Residence types

The Canyon House

An inner patio open to the sky, with an olive tree and a low sofa, seen through an open glass door.
Bedrooms
5
Interior
560 to 600 m²
Villas
5 and 6

Two levels under one roof, around a patio that is open to the sky. The upper floor reaches out over the terrace.

A private pool, a terrace to the southwest and nothing in front of the view.

All nine houses share the same white render, pale limestone and bronze framed glass. Figures are indicative.

Amenities

The arrival court with olive trees, the open gate and covered parking.

01 / 05

A gate, an olive court, then the house. Covered parking with three chargers.

The pool along the terrace, the house beside it and the city and ocean beyond.

02 / 05

A private pool at every villa. It runs to the edge of the slope and stops.

The Bathhouse, a cold plunge pool in a room of pale limestone.

03 / 05

Steam, sauna and a cold plunge, in a room of pale stone.

The gym pavilion, glass on two sides, facing the canyon.

04 / 05

Glass on two sides, facing the canyon. A timber deck for the morning.

A gravel path between olive trees leading to the trail gate.

05 / 05

Olive trees, fan palms and native grasses. A private gate to the Ridgeline Trail.

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Rooms of light

The main bedroom opening to the loggia above the city.

The main bedroom, upper level

The living room open to the terrace, the pool and the view.

Glass on three sides. The floor is pale limestone, cool in the morning.

In the afternoon the doors stand open and the wind comes up the canyon from the water.

The kitchen, open to the terrace

The table, for eight

The stair, under its skylight

The study, facing the hill

The bath, in morning light

The Canyon House from the terrace, its roof reaching out over the upper loggia.

One roof, held over glass

Architecture

The upper floor reaches four metres past the wall below. Under it the terrace stays in shade until late afternoon.

The details

Designed by Ines Varga. Flat roofs with deep overhangs, walls of white render, glass from floor to ceiling in bronze frames. Every house steps with the slope, so none stands taller than the ridge behind it.

Pale limestone inside and out. Timber ceilings and joinery. Lime render on the walls, bronze anodised frames. Linen, wool and stone in the rooms.

Solar roofs with battery storage on every house. Three chargers in the arrival court. Pools heated by heat pumps. Planting on drip irrigation, fed by collected rainwater.

Nine villas in four types. Viewings are private and by appointment. All figures on this page are indicative.

The house at golden hour under a wide evening sky.

Private viewings, by appointment

Come up and see the light

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Private viewings

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