Interlocking Houses with New Public Square, Caion, Spain Part 1 Project 2004 Esther Chew University of East London London | UK Interlocking Houses affirms the principle of identity for the individual and community.It sits at the edge of the headland, flat and exposed with a view of the seascape. It is made up of interlocking dwellings arranged to form a vertical threshold between sea and land; 'a defense wall' protecting a south facing public square; 'an outdoor room for activities' which is surrounded by glimpses of the sea; 'Balcones del Mar (Balconies of the sea).' Its footprint and materiality are a response to the harsh weather conditions and its orientation celebrates the coastline.It aims to encourage transformation of the smallest independent social institutions: the families, workgroups and gathering places by enhancing what is valuable, correcting what is dusturbing and create anew what is missing. Esther Chew's project for her degree was exceptional. The unit she was part of spent the year working along the coastline of Galicia, the most western and exposed part of Spain.Her project, 'Interlocking Houses with a New Public Square' in Caion, a former fishing village, is a sensitive intervention as a result of a precise site analysis.The building she designed shows a fine sense of structural and constructional components as generators of architectural form and atmosphere.Esther has produced a strong and coherent building which speaks in a beautiful way about its use and its place.