Interview with Marina Senabre

N.: Hello Marina, thank you for sharing this beautiful project with us! We want you to feel free to express and talk about what best defines your work. We have prepared these questions, but feel free to add whatever you need to communicate the project and your work.

N.: As lovers of Menorca, after seeing your latest project, Casa E in Es Mercadal, we were totally attracted by the perception it conveys of living in an open space and in contact with nature but in a very intimate way. Could you tell us the concept behind your work?
MS: I am very pleased that the house is perceived in this way, because it is precisely what I wanted to convey, being also a lover of Menorca. The house is conceived as a conversation between two architectural pieces. Two volumes that represent, on the one hand, the construction and building characteristics of the island of Menorca and, on the other, contemporary architecture. A small gabled piece and a flat one look at each other and converse thanks to the language that both use: composition and aesthetics. The intention is to pose the contrast between the purity of the geometry and the undulating nature that surrounds the house and for the architecture to rest on the landscape in a respectful way, integrating and standing out at the same time. The Menorcan countryside manages to enter the house through the large square openings, like works of art on the wall that completely link it to the territory.

N.: Can you share with us any interesting facts or experiences about the process?
MS: Designing and building a house is a long process, which can take a couple of years. This is enough time for all the parts to change or evolve, so it is a living process. It is very interesting to carry out a project of this nature from start to finish, because as an architect you acquire a great level of intimacy with the clients. You have to know a person's way of living well in order to create their house.

N.: What are your influences?
MS: My influences are very varied. In the end, they are a collection of experiences and references that I have gathered over time, which may or may not be related to architecture. In the creative process, I am often inspired by something that has little to do with the project, such as a film, a book or a photograph. On an architectural level, my first great influence was probably the Modern Movement and I always carry it with me. In recent years, and increasingly, I see myself reflected in Japanese, Scandinavian and Portuguese architecture, the latter reference being very evident in Casa E. And of course, Mediterranean architecture is always present in all my projects.

N.: Have you always been confident in your style, or is it something you learn over time?
MS: It is true that there is something that can be recognised in all the projects, from the first Casa M in Ciutadella, 8 years ago now. But I also believe in the importance of evolution as an exercise in personal and professional growth. So I suppose it is a combination of both things: I would like to be recognised in my future projects and at the same time for the development to be seen in my career. I would like to continue exploring new paths, both aesthetically and technologically, and to advance, for example, towards an architecture that is increasingly respectful, efficient and sustainable.

N: Can you share more about your background and upbringing? What has been the most impactful thing that has contributed to creating the woman you are today?
MS: I studied architecture and then graphic design. I always wanted to study architecture, but when I finished I found myself in a moment where I needed to delve deeper into my creative side. So I wanted to go deeper and learn more about geometry, proportion and composition, aspects that I would later apply again in architecture. Both disciplines have a lot to do with each other, because in the end it is about establishing relationships in a place that is either inhabited or read, developing concepts to then apply them, either in a space or a book or a digital environment. However, although my career since my degree has made me grow exponentially every year both professionally and personally, it would be an understatement to say that the woman I am today is simply due to this period. I have to thank my mother and my grandmother for the foundation of what I am: two impressive women who were enormously advanced for their time in life and who taught me to relate to the world from equality and freedom. Today I am a woman in a man's world, which is still difficult, but I am able to move naturally in this context and continue to grow thanks to them.

N.: Beyond your craft, is there anything else you are interested in learning more about? Or any hobbies that take up your time?
MS: There are so many things I would like to learn more about! I am interested in all artistic expressions: painting, photography, dance, music… I am sure that at some point I will study another degree, probably Art History or Psychology. As I grow older I find psychology more and more important, trying to understand the human condition. In the end, life is about people relating to other people (and to the earth and animals), human relationships are the basis of everything, both emotional and work-related. So many conflicts are simply the result of not knowing how to understand each other, of the lack of empathy in a world that is increasingly moving away from the human scale and speed. I would be very interested in learning in this sense, our heads are fascinating. As far as my profession is concerned, in particular, it seems fundamental to me: it is essential to understand a person in order to design their house. To understand “The House” as a translation of the way of inhabiting and understanding the world in a space, as complex or as simple as a person can be.