square openings punctuate the facade of courtyard-centric red house in albania

Pacarizi Studio rethinks the Albanian single-family home

Set within a large agricultural garden in a coastal village near Lezhë, Albania, Red House by Pacarizi Studio explores how a single-family dwelling can respond to changing social structures, climatic conditions, and local building cultures. Designed by Gezim Pacarizi, the 350-square-meter home is organized around an open, partially covered courtyard with a pool at its center. The project approaches domestic architecture as a sequence of perceptual experiences shaped by light, movement, and framing, an idea articulated by the architects themselves. ‘What you see through a window can be a landscape, a tree, or architecture itself,’ they note.

Its basic structure is concrete, while the exterior walls are made of local hollow bricks. Thermal insulation is produced using a mixture of straw, sand, and lime, bound with casein, a milk protein traditionally used in natural building techniques. This same mixture is applied as plaster across the surfaces, with cement replaced entirely by casein. Red iron oxide is added directly into the material, giving the building its distinctive reddish-pink tone. The color becomes part of the material itself, intended to age without the need for repainting.

all images by Gezim Pacarizi

red house is shaped by light, time, and perception

Pacarizi Studio places the courtyard at the heart of the Red House. All major living spaces open toward this central void, transforming it into a living room on warmer days. The courtyard becomes a place for circulation, rest, observation, and gathering, mediating between the home and its surrounding orchard of olive, pomegranate, and orange trees. From here, a grand stair continues the spatial sequence upward to the roof, opening long views toward both the immediate garden and distant landscapes.

Windows reveal fragments of the house, a stair, a wall, another opening. The building becomes its own visual subject, creating layered perspectives that change throughout the day. As light shifts, surfaces deepen or flatten, shadows stretch or dissolve, and reflections appear across water and plaster. Nothing remains visually fixed. The experience of space is defined by this continuous transformation, echoing the Prizren-based architects’ reflection: ‘Nothing is ever the same because light, like water, is constantly changing, you can never bathe in the same water twice.’

wrapped around a square courtyard

Low-tech sustainability through material intelligence

Single-family houses make up more than half of Albania’s building stock. Migration, aging populations, and shifting patterns of work and mobility have redefined how these houses are occupied. Pacarizi Studio positions Red House as a response to this transformation, proposing a domestic architecture that can adapt to fluctuating patterns of use while remaining rooted in local climatic and material realities.

Lime was produced locally, and casein was sourced from nearby farms. Floors are finished in local pinkish marble and wood. The construction process generates almost no waste, relying on simplified detailing and local labor teams. Sustainability here is not framed as a matter of building culture, working with what is available, minimizing dependency on imported systems, and prioritizing long-term durability. Large fixed windows frame views and bring in daylight, while smaller operable openings regulate natural ventilation. Thick walls help stabilize interior temperatures, and the courtyard acts as a climatic buffer, collecting cool air at night and shading the surrounding rooms during the day. 

the red-toned exterior volume opens onto the surrounding orchard

a grand stair unfolds along the courtyard edge

a pool acting as the core of the courtyard

the pool reflects the surrounding volumes

square apertures punctuate the facade

the stepped platform transforms the courtyard into a theatrical, inhabitable landscape

covered outdoor areas mediate between interior rooms and the agricultural garden beyond

interior circulation unfolds through a series of framed views across the courtyard

living spaces are defined by thick walls, deep window reveals, and filtered daylight

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the stepped platform transforms the courtyard into a theatrical landscape

the monumental stair becomes a spatial anchor within the courtyard sequence

framed apertures turn the exterior walls into viewing devices

the central void is conceived as an inhabitable room rather than an exterior leftover

square openings punctuate the inner facades, framing views across the courtyard.

covered outdoor spaces extend the domestic interior into the agricultural garden

interior circulation unfolds through a series of framed views across the courtyard

the upper terrace frames distant mountain views

red iron oxide gives the residence its color

 

 

framed apertures turn the exterior walls into viewing devices

 

 

covered outdoor spaces extend the domestic interior into the agricultural garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

site drawing

site drawing

first floor plan

ground floor plan

section through the courtyard

section through living space

project info:

name: Red House

architect: Pacarizi Studio | @gezimpacarizi_architect

lead architect: Gezim Pacarizi

location: Lezhë, Albania

site area: 2,000 square meters

total gross floor area: 350 square meters