It is not necessary to convince anyone that living in a luxury apartment like penthouse can have virtually only advantages.
If one was to look for any defects, it would be a tiresome and exhausting undertaking.
What is particularly appreciated by the few who can enjoy their own penthouse every day?
Without a shadow of a doubt, one would recount breakfasts on the terrace, evening drinks in the open air, admiring the sunsets and the panorama of the city, as well as unlimited space and freedom.
The history of penthouses is quite interesting and it wonderfully shows the changes in human thinking and - as a result - trends in architecture that have been taking place over the centuries.
The term ¨penthouse¨, which today is associated with a luxurious, large apartment with a terrace, once had a different meaning.
In architecture, a penthouse means a structure located on the top floor of a building.
As a rule, it does not occupy the entire surface of a roof.
For example, in tower blocks, the top area of the building was always saved for mechanical installations, such as elevator machines, heating and cooling control systems, etc.
Initially, they meant little more than just an extension, and certainly were not a desirable location for an apartment.
Disgraceful beginnings
Until the mid-nineteenth century, penthouses were the least attractive apartments in the tenement house. The first floor was the most valued because of its prestige. Representatives of the lower social classes lived on the upper floors.
What caused these unattractive apartments to become a determinant of luxury and style?
The catalyst for these changes was ... stairs.
Taller buildings meant a longer way to go up the stairs, and therefore a lot of physical effort. That is why, for example, service, maids, and kitchen staff resided on the highest floors.
Representative floors and ground floors were occupied by senior citizens, so they were elitists. Their apartments had a higher ceiling, they were finished with sophisticated materials, they had the best features that the building offered. In old residential houses, this division is reflected on the façades - in rich decorations, decorative cornices, and rustic finishing.
Pioneers from across the ocean
In Europe, the potential dormant in the last storey of the building was probably never discovered.
However, in American cities in the 1920s, they were used for utility purposes. It was there that the career of penthouses prospered, and over time, the popularity of this solution began to spread around the world.
The old order of floors in the building was reorganised by what had been known to humanity from the time of ancient Rome.
It is obviously an effortless lift (or elevator).
The invention reversed the traditional floor layout - the lower floors ceased to be of prime importance because it was now easier to reach even the last floor of the highest building than talking the stairs to the first floor (!)
New needs and opportunities began to emerge. The lower floors were less well lit, and because there was no problem with access to the top of the building, the scenic values of the top floors were appreciated more.
The apartment on the top began to gain a new quality. Not everyone could boast of a magnificent panorama of the entire city. In addition, the elevation above the traffic noise gave a rare opportunity to relax in peace and quiet on your own terrace.
The comfort of living at the heights
After several decades of changes, today we can call a penthouse a luxury apartment, often located on the two top floors of the building, with obligatory large terraces or gardens on the roof.
Marbella Club Hills´penthouses come with as much as 250 sq. m of terrace - that’s a huge area, pretty much deprived of any flaws.
Until now, the prestige with which the apartment at the top was connected to was associated with the fact that these were apartments available only for the most affluent.
Fortunately, in our case, a wide selection of penthouses (only available in phase 2 of our construction) and an affordable price make them affordable for a growing number of people.
In conclusion, the penthouse is not so much prestige today as guaranteeing a truly comfortable living. It is a combination of the best features of living in a city and beyond its borders. One of the most exciting features of penthouses is that they provide extraordinary visual experiences - from terraces, you can admire fascinating panoramas of the Marbella coast as well as Gibraltar and Morocco.
In your own "garden" you can listen to the breath of the city below.
The Penthouse is a quiet oasis of peace above all this. At most. At the very top.
Can you dream of something more? It turns out we may have something for you.
