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).
-
Gucci’s ‘Design Ancora’ reimagines furniture classics in rich red
Gucci launches new editions of Italian design icons in an alluring deep red, showcased during Milan Design Week 2024
By Simon Mills Published
-
Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson drafts artists to create 24 extraordinary lamps at Milan Design Week 2024
Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson commissioned international artists and artisans to explore ‘illumination within the house’ with a series of lamps and lighting installations, shown at a group exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
What are polynucleotides? Trying the skin injectable made from salmon sperm
Polynucleotides are the latest in skin injectables, containing DNA derived from the gonads of salmon. Wallpaper* Beauty & Grooming Editor Hannah Tindle tries them to discover exactly how they work
By Hannah Tindle 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
-
Hortensia Herrero Art Centre puts Valencia on the contemporary art map
Hortensia Herrero Art Centre launches in Valencia, offering a home for contemporary art to sit side by side with archaeological treasures
By Blaire Dessent Published
-
Collective, Hong Kong and Spain: Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2023
With bases in Hong Kong and Spain, Collective joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Nicolás y Nicolás, Spain and Ecuador: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023
With offices in Spain and Ecuador, Nicolás y Nicolás is part of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This light-filled Spanish house is defined by openness and geometry
A Spanish house by Arquitecturia Camps Felip is designed around its courtyards and its six volumes’ bold geometry
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Extraordinary escapes: where would you like to be?
Peruse and lose yourself in these extraordinary escapes; there's nothing better to get the creative juices flowing than a healthy dose of daydreaming
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Spain’s Casa Primitiva is ruled by simplicity
The pared-back Casa Primitiva by Hanghar fits in perfectly in its semi-rural Spanish context
By TF Chan Published