dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside

the geometric volumes of the housing complex adapt to the natural terrain.

Jaime Prous edited by christina vergopoulou March 31, 2023 3 min

L’Alzina by Jaime Prous Architects lays 23 white homes on a hill

Jaime Prous Architects design a complex of twenty-three white homes spreading over a dense pine forest on a hillside of Caldes de Malavella, Spain. Gently sloping down to a landscape of meadows and lakes, the site shields under the thick shade of the pines, while the architecture hides between the greenery in a subtle and surprising gesture. Each home forms out of cubes in different proportions set at various levels adapting to the natural terrain. The white geometrical volumes are grouped to reduce visual impact overlooking the views from the highest point of the hill.

dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside - 1 — all images by Alejo Bagué

the design recalls Mediterranean vernacular architecture

The design team at Jaime Prous Architects draws from Mediterranean vernacular architecture for the design of the L’Alzina residential complex. All the housing units share the same characteristics and palette of colors, with soil red, for the flooring contrasting the greenery of the location, and pure white, for the rest of the architecture, the windows, walls, and ceilings, resembling the whitewashed Spanish villages. Traditional models of minimal houses with little ornamental elements high ceilings and large wall surfaces are echoed in the project.

The apparent monotony of the structure is interrupted by five types of housing, which adapt to the variable topography forming in two levels, with entrances on both, preserving the original sloping terrain and hill landscape. The structure composes of twenty-three cubes opened on three sides and provided with a private patio, and porch, and equipped with a swimming pool facing the dense pine forest. The architecture of simple lines and geometric rhythms relates to the surrounding landscape organically, without imposing itself on it.

dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside - 2 — the geometric white volumes blend in with the natural surroundings

dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside - 3 — Jaime Prous Architects draws from Mediterranean vernacular architecture for the design of L’Alzina

dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside - 4 — the volumes of the housing complex create a built landscape of different perspectives and orientation

lalzina-jaime-prous-architects-designboom-1800-2 — each of the cubes that make up the complex is placed at different heights adapting to the original terrain

dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside - 5 — the architecture relates to the surrounding landscape organically, without imposing itself on it

dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside - 6 — the units are equipped with a swimming pool facing the dense pine forest

lalzina-jaime-prous-architects-designboom-1800-3 — 23 houses spread between the pine trees, meadows, and lakes forming an idyllic hillside setting

dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside - 7 — simple lines and geometric rhythms define the project by Jaime Prous Architects

dozens of white cubes spread over a pine forest in the spanish countryside - 8 — tranquility, intimacy, and calmness are established through the interior arrangement

the purity of the geometry is reflected in the interior, while light and shadow filter through the compartments the architecture of Portuguese architects Souto de Moura and Alvaro Siza is echoed in the design the interplay of shadows and light reflects on the surfaces generating a scenographic quality

project info:

name: L’Alzina
designer: Jaime Prous Architects | @jprousarchitects

design team: Jaime Prous, Antón Monedero, Àlex Pineda, and Eduard Romero

collaborators: Jordi Chopo, Joan Ramón Blasco, Oriol Ruiz, and Marcos Muñoz

location: Caldes de Malavella, Spain

photography: Alejo Bagué

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