‘hacienda de las flores’ by etb studio all images courtesy etb studio

‘hacienda de las flores’ by etb studio is a design proposal for a new centre of hospitality in villafranca de los barros, spain. intended to provide a layout and atmosphere that is more like a town rather than a building, the dynamic complex is carpeted with brightly coloured flowers. largely influenced by the ‘haciendas agricolas’, a collection of white buildings that dot the landscape of southern spain, the design consists of several separate components that generate a flexible system of smaller volumes.

etb studio: hacienda de las flores - 2 rendering of the inner garden

an original volume is divided up and placed according to the direction of and the search for light. the resulting arrangement facilitates a great variety of open spaces, patios and gardens protected from the nearby traffic. the facade of each building is garnered with a different type of flowering creeper, creating a variety of identities, colours, light, and depth of fragrance. each block, which houses a group of 8, will be given the name of the respective flower, creating a ‘barrio florido’.

etb studio: hacienda de las flores - 3 flower facade from the interior

the idea of basing the buidling on a framented ‘vernacular type’ through an abstract concept is a way of going back to working with the elements present in the landscape. by reworking it in a contemporary manner, the architecture can be inserted into the landscape in a continuous and complex way.

etb studio: hacienda de las flores - 4 types of flowering creepers used on each building’s facade

etb studio: hacienda de las flores - 5 gold showing the flower facade

etb studio: hacienda de las flores - 6 physical model

etb studio: hacienda de las flores - 7 (left) mass model (center) sketches (right) exploded axo