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Project
Casa en Bétera
Location
Bétera, Spain
Authors
Quadrat Estudio + Juan Grau
Collaborators
Blanca Pedrola, Álex Jaén
Technical Team
Bartolomé Salvador Ibars (arquitecto técnico), David Gallardo Llopis (Estructuras Singulares)
Promoter
Private
Photography
Mariela Apollonio
Awards
  • Erich Mendelsohn Prize 2023. Bronze Prize
  • COACV 2021 Awards. First Prize
  • XV Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism. Finalist
  • FAD Awards. Shortlisted
  • Best Projects in Valencia from 2017-2018-2019. Honourable Mention

A clay house on the outskirts of the city of Valencia, harmoniously situated between the sea and the mountains.

This property is truly a “modest dwelling of the highest level”, whose form is based on a single, characteristic element: clay bricks in their natural state (240 x 115 x 90). The privileged location of the plot, strict adherence to building regulations and optimal use of resources resulted in a remarkable rectangular structure of impressive clarity and strength. Outside, a porch offers shade for spending time in the open air, and a pool for cooling off sits on a podium, also made of clay.

This house is designed in harmony with its climate and the surrounding terrain. It is a testament to simple elegance.

The interior design is structural and the structure defines the space. A structure that, connected in a seamless sequence, makes the interior airy and support-free.

A world consisting of eight equal modules made of simple, orthogonal walls. These walls seem to float above us and convey a surprising lightness despite their obvious material properties.

It is as if a solid ceramic surface is floating in the semi-darkness, seemingly held only by the air directly below.

Sliding elements divide the rooms while providing a seamless horizontal connection between the living areas. The result is a lived-in, immaculately white-painted space surrounded by two ceramic worlds: the lower one, which grounds the space, and the upper one, which defines and frames it.

The material palette is simple and expressive, achieving remarkable strength and meaning. The arrangement of materials and the chosen construction solutions are designed to prioritise optimal passive performance and high energy efficiency.

This property prides itself above all on being a “handcrafted” house, indicating a manual, undoubtedly analogue creative power. Here, technique is preferred to pure technology, and the idea of craftsmanship, of creating, is brought into focus.