Casa de les Pinetes
Located on a residential plot in Valencia, Casa de les Pinetes responds to the desire of an extended family to create a second home that would facilitate shared, collective, and flexible living. More than a conventional single-family house, it is conceived as a multifamily residence, where different family units live together under one roof, balancing independence and close bonds.
The complexity of the program is addressed through a clear strategy: understanding the house not just as a primary dwelling, but as a system of relationships that extends beyond its built limits. Daily activities unfold across a constellation of four autonomous yet interconnected elements — the main house, a garage, a paellero (outdoor kitchen), and a swimming pool — which together structure communal life. Each has its own logic, yet they are all interrelated, enabling an open way of living adapted to different rhythms and uses.
The main house is laid out on a square 14 × 14 m plan — an essential geometry that ensures compactness and structural simplicity. The program is distributed across two main bands: to the east, shared spaces — entrance, kitchen, living-dining room — open to the outdoors and to the southern light; to the west, three en-suite bedrooms are arranged in sequence, offering privacy and autonomy within a shared domestic framework.
The living-dining area extends naturally onto a generous terrace that links domestic life with the garden and the surrounding landscape. The bedrooms, facing west, receive soft, warm light at the end of the day, creating a calm and intimate atmosphere.
The construction system emphasizes simplicity, efficiency, and material honesty. The enclosure is composed of a double-wall system: an inner load-bearing wall made of thermo-clay provides thermal mass and stability, while an outer layer of hollow brick, combined with high-performance insulation, eliminates thermal bridges and enhances energy efficiency.
Material choices revisit Mediterranean tradition with a contemporary and restrained approach. Ceramics, a defining material of the region, is used throughout: exposed clay vaults in the ceilings, handmade face brick for base courses and window sills, and artisanal tiles in the exterior paving and built-in furniture. Traditional features like ceramic ventilation grilles at the base of the walls and roof scuppers are reinterpreted, respecting their original logic.
The facade is finished with a washed lime mortar, reinforcing principles of lightness, breathability, and low maintenance. Indoors, a continuous in-situ floor finish unifies the spaces and smooths the transition between inside and out. The window joinery combines aluminum on the exterior with wood on the interior, offering durability and warmth, while generous openings ensure a strong connection to the garden without compromising thermal comfort.
Casa de les Pinetes is conceived as a sensitive ensemble, attuned to its place, climate, and shared ways of living. A discreet, enduring, and grounded architecture that transforms the everyday into a space of quality.