casa roja navigates its complex site
Estudio Entresitio, a Madrid and New York-based architecture firm, completes a residential project dubbed ‘Casa Roja.’ The house is shaped by its site, a rural area in central Spain just west of Madrid. Situated on a sloping plot surrounded by a dense forest, the dwelling peers through the trees to overlook the San Juan reservoir beyond. ‘The floor plan of the house is the direct consequence of the full respect towards the existing topography and trees,’ writes the design team.
With this complex terrain, the architects were tasked with navigating both the slope and the trees to integrate the house into its natural surroundings. The result, captured by photographer Roland Halbe, is a stunning example of how architecture can work in harmony with nature.
images © Roland Halbe | @rolandhalbe
an array of ‘levitating’ volumes
Estudio Entresitio’s Casa Roja takes its name from its vivid red exteriors, which stand out against the greenery of the forest. The architects organize the house as a composition of volumes that weave through the woods. These descending volumes are elevated lightly over the ground to minimize their impact on the terrain, seeming to ‘levitate’ over the earth. This approach allows the house to blend into the landscape without embedding into it.
‘A high degree of protection is applied to the plot due to the ecological value of the reservoir and its surrounding vegetation,’ write the architects. ‘The respect toward the landscape, natural topography and the existing vegetation are key principles of the work.’
Among the challenges of building along a sloping plot is creating a sense of cohesion between the different levels. Estudio Entresitio’s solution is a series of stepped terraces that define a collection of outdoor spaces, allowing occupants to choose between an interior or exterior circulation route. These terraces also open the house out toward views of the forest and the surrounding landscape. Together with full-height windows, this strategy further reinforces the connection between the house and its natural surroundings.
estudio entresitio unifies the house with red exteriors
Unlike traditional homes with four clear facades, Estudio Entresitio designs its Casa Roja with a dispersed layout of three intermediate levels to gradually connect the upper-level entrance to the reservoir below. Each family member has their own private space with direct access to an outdoor terrace and the living room and kitchen area. This gathering space is positioned as the central point between the parent’s and children’s levels. The distinct spaces are unified by a continuous wooden skin in red. ‘It is a continuous wooden skin in red that becomes transparent to capture light and vision when needed,’ the team explains.
interior or exterior circulation allows for alternate experiences as occupants move through the house 
a series of stepping terraces weave amongst the trees
with full-height glazing, interiors open broadly outward
the volumes ‘levitate’ above the ground for a minimized impact on the landscape
‘casa roja’ gradually descends downward to the reservoir
project info:
project title: Casa Roja
architecture: Estudio Entresitio | @entresitio
location: Cebreros, Ávila, Calas de Guisando, Spain
lead architects: Estudio__entresitio; Maria Hurtado De Mendoza, Cesar Jimenez De Tejada, Alvar Ruiz
design team: Maria Hurtado De Mendoza, Cesar Jimenez De Tejada, Alvar Ruiz, Eduardo Blanes, Adriana Pablos, Peio Erroteta, Carlotta Albini, Carlos Diaz Del Rio, Vittorio Asperti, Maria Urigoitia
construction management: Maria Hurtado De Mendoza, Cesar Jimenez De Tejada, Alvar Ruiz, Borja Requena
structure: Ignacio Aspe
CLT: Altermateria
energy efficiency: Manuel Rodriguez
lighting design: Ignacio Valero: Arkilum
landscaping, gardening: Planta Paisajistas
completion: March 2022
photographer: © Roland Halbe | @rolandhalbe
