Pragmatism and theory meet in Lluís Alexandre Casanovas Blanco’s ‘Real Estate Boom House’
The architecture and construction industry in Spain was booming in the final two decades of the 20th century. The country was riding a wave of bliss and – perceived, at least – prosperity, with new projects springing up everywhere, from housing blocks and single family dwellings to museums and civic buildings of all shapes and sizes. Then, a few years into the 21st century, things drastically changed. The worldwide financial crisis hit the Mediterranean country hard, leaving it with a number of unfinished works and even more that remained disused, unsold and empty. The Spanish Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale depicted just that, winning the year’s Golden Lion as a result.
New York and Barcelona-based Lluís Alexandre Casanovas Blanco is all too familiar with this situation. The architect has been researching the current state of the industry in his native country for a while, looking at the housing bubble as a period of ‘frenzied economic growth’. His latest renovation project, the ‘Real Estate Boom House’ is a direct result of this exploration.
‘The so-called “Spanish housing bubble” collapsed in 2008, leaving behind a huge housing stock which reflects the societal transformation of most of the country’s population from lower middle-class to upper-middle class', says Casanovas Blanco.
A single family house built in the booming 1990s in the Catalan village of Cardedeu, a short drive from Barcelona – became his case study. ‘The house can be considered paradigmatic of the aesthetic fostered by this financial phenomenon for at least three reasons’, he explains.
Casanovas Blanco led a series of interventions in the house that highlight three key points about the building – the design, material and construction that make this house typical of its era, its views of the village, fields and surrounding urbanisation, and the domestic interior typology of its generation.
The staircase was carefully ‘excavated’ and became a key feature in the new design. Different areas were given a refresh and treated with a mix of new techniques and traditional crafts. The project includes, for example, the development of a textile prototype using Castilian bobbin lace, which was woven by the client and resident of the house.
Casanovas Blanco also aims to highlight through his artistic work a generation of architects who ‘constructed their practice as a foray into alternative forms of architectural production such as performance, criticism or curatorial work’, he adds.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Lluis Alexandre Casanovas Blanco
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Remembering Christopher Charles Benninger (1942-2024)
Architect Christopher Charles Benninger has died in Pune, India, at the age of 82; we honour and reflect on his passing
By Aastha D Published
-
Chanel shows its sporting colours with a bold high jewellery collection
Chanel's high jewellery collection is inspired by its founder’s athletic aesthetic
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Sarah Solis’ first furniture collection is an homage to art deco
‘Is it weird to call furniture sexy?’ Los Angeles-based designer Sarah Solis discusses her debut furniture line and new brand and store, Galerie Solis
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Bodegas Faustino Winery celebrates process through its versatile vaulted visitor centre
Bodegas Faustino Winery completes extension by Foster + Partners in Spain, marking a new chapter to the long-standing history between the architecture practice and their client
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Playball Studio's architecture balances the organic and the technical
Playball Studio, a young Indo-Spanish design practice, features in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024
By Pallavi Mehra Published
-
In Palma, beloved watch boutique Relojeria Alemana gets a dramatic revamp
Edificio RA for Relojeria Alemana has been redesigned by OHLAB, refreshing a historical landmark in Palma, Mallorca with a 21st-century twist
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Santiago Bernabéu stadium redesign: a sneak peek into the works
We take a tour of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, as the beloved sports facility is being given a refresh
By Agnish Ray Published
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalism
From modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
MOCA is a self-sufficient mobile home offering freedom to work (and roam)
MOCA (Mobile Catalyst) is a sustainable mobile home designed by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, and taking remote working to a new level
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Low-energy house in Catalonia minimises its footprint to make the most of its site
Alventosa Morell Arquitectes’ low-energy house in Catalonia nestles into the landscape
By Jonathan Bell Published