Architectural projects

A winter refuge on the slopes.

In Pleta Arriu we created a comfortable and luxurious contemporary home with amenities. Respecting the surrounding landscape, we proposed a reinterpretation of the vernacular architecture of the Pyrenees.

Thirty-eight homes are presented in groups of two, three, four and five houses, surrounded by ample, green areas. The natural incline of the parcel facilitates the disposition of each home in such a way that none becomes an obstacle in another’s view, each one can enjoy the direct sunlight coming from the South, a necessity during the cold winter months. This slope also allows us to organize the homes’ different environments on different levels.

38 homes in Baqueira Beret, Grupo Avintia, 2018, , , Bside Visuals , , https://pleta-arriu.com/, 17.029 m², Built

Casa Ibiza is located in a privileged plot of land. Its location not only offers unobstructed panoramic views of the island’s imposing nature. We believe that any operation in this place must be carried out with the utmost care and respect.

This project began as a renovation of a well-conceived house of local architecture, with varied elements and forms of great value, and it turned into a project of subtle improvement of the existing structure. It is a house that is imbued in the landscape, that blends into the surroundings, crowning the topography of the place.

Intrinsically, the project accompanies the clear intuitions of the first construction, revalues its strengths, and improves the weak points without losing the current essence of the house.

Renovation , Private, 2023-2024, , , Sofía Gomez Fonzo, Interior Design: Bonnie Meredith Landscape Design: Masedo Jardines, , 1.150 m2, Built

El Tarter is a mountain town with low-rise housing and low density. The challenge was to make a 60-unit building fit in a small plot of land and adapt to the landscape. Our design always starts with respect for the territory, the adaptation of different ways of living in that place, and the selection of native natural materials.

Our intention is to maintain the continuity of the concept of mountain residences as the previous work in Pleta Arriu in Baqueira Beret. Taking the module created there, we repeated it and from there we developed the different typologies.

Isard Homes, Grupo Avintia, 2019, , , Playtime, , , 14.749 m² , Built

This project is the comprehensive renovation and merging of two buildings from 1900 in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona. The proposal was a collection of lofts, one and two-bedroom apartments, and the enabling of balconies and gardens.

The homes offer a romantic sensation and a genuine experience of the charm of Barcelona’s old town, combined with luxury and comfort through design solutions that integrate spaces, creating a symbiosis between past and present.

Lancaster, Private, 2024, , , Oleh Kardash, , , 1.534 m², Built

Office Renovation, , , , , Cris Palomar, , , 400 m², Built

Located on the outskirts of Bilbao, we conceived this house as a reinterpretation of the typical Basque country house of the area, organizing it into two parts: one linked to the terrain on a stone base, and the other built entirely with a wooden structure and cladding.

House in Laukariz, Private, 2021, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 2.634 m² , Under construction

This project emerges from the environment and becomes part of it: it arises from the idea of a village house with a Spanish soul. The goal was to create, ultimately, a perfect synthesis of the mesetarian rural house. To design this building, we allowed ourselves to navigate through the imagery of the Spanish village, with its terraces and earthy materials, and take advantage of the views of the Entrepeñas reservoir surroundings.

La Alberca, Grupo Ibosa, 2021, , , Bside Visuals , , , 10.593 m2, Project

In the heart of Barcelona, ​​an apartment on the emblematic Gran de Gràcia street has been transformed, emphasizing conservation and a respect for heritage with a contemporary vision.

This project embodies the concept of “The New and The Old,” fostering a dialogue between craftsmanship and architecture. The restoration includes existing walls, doors, windows, shutters, ceilings, rosettes, and moldings.

Refurbishment in Grácia, Private, 2024, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 220 m², Under construction

Casa Aiguablava began as a small renovation project that evolved into a major intervention. The client wanted to open up the house to the sea, to take advantage of the flat terrain, and to reduce the number of rooms.

We used the existing structure, the perimeter, and the layout across two floors. Common areas were left on the ground floor, alongside the master bedroom, while three bedrooms were arranged in the basement. To bring light and natural ventilation to these underground spaces, we opened two courtyards, allowing for large windows.

House in Aiguablava, Private, 2014, , , Lluis Carbonell, , , 550 m², Built

Renovation in Sarrià, Private, , , , Pol Viladoms, , , 300 m², Built

Apartment in Gran Vía, Private, , , , Pol Viladoms, , , 309 m², Built

A landscape of rolling hills and a clear horizon. The plot is located at a high point that allows for the contemplation of the extended and open landscape of low forest areas and small towns.

Small paths cross and organize the architecture, achieving an organic layout with the local topography. The proposal takes up this idea, redefining it to give order to the different uses and needs that must be addressed.

Winery in Burgos, Private, 2023, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 3.600 m², Concept

This project was a competition to design a restaurant and art gallery in an area globally renowned for its wines: Mendoza, Argentina. Inspired by the environment itself, we proposed an experiential journey through the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water.

We aimed to pause time in a shelter, returning to the roots, delving into the earth, and discovering its fruits. Feeling the stillness of water.

Mad Mendoza, Private, 2013, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 1.400 m², Concept

This house in Font Romeu blends respect for local architecture with the clients’ passion for traditional Japanese buildings. Wood becomes the primary material to shape this mountain dwelling.

We overlay the buildings in sections so that the roof of one floor is the garden of the other. This strategy allows us to gain usable outdoor space while breaking the volume of the building, favoring landscape integration.

House Font Romeu , Private, 2019, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 400 m², Under construction

This project is a student residence complex in the mountains, surrounded by ski resorts and located on a natural platform offering privileged views towards Madrid.

One of the design premises is always the appreciation of the environment. In this case, the priviledged location leads us to ensure the views are taken advantage of, creating terraces that also promote the entry of light and natural ventilation into the interior spaces.

The main objective of the project is to achieve an integrated campus where the buildings and the landscape are fully connected. For this reason, the buildings are proposed as hermetic towards the main street and permeable on the rear facade.

In this project, wood is used both on the facade and in the detailed design of the interiors. Together with brick, a warm environment integrated into the nature of the mountainous landscape is achieved.

Aravaca, Private, 2020, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 12.810 m², Concept

This project is directly inspired by Shirakawa, the historic Japanese town known for its gassho-zukuri-style houses, or “praying hands” houses.

This traditional Japanese architectural technique is characterized by its triangular sloping roofs to withstand the heavy snowfall that hits the region during winter.

A Shape Cabin, Private, 2021, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 92 m² , Project

The landscape is the starting point for any architectural project. We arrived here with a sincere outlook, open to learn from the site, to observe carefully, to create from what already existed.

The site of this project is a wooded area on the slope of a mountain with magnificent views of the Mediterranean Sea. Hence, this house is another rock subtly detached from the mountain, blending seamlessly with the terrain. We thus created a dwelling born from the place, from the rock, embracing the natural environment within.

Adapting to the terrain to avoid overpowering the natural surroundings. The house embraces the mountain from the back, developing the entrance from the lowest part of the slope. At this level, we create a base enclosing the parking in the center, which transforms into a courtyard from the next floor.

House in Sitges, Private, 2016, , , , , , 950 m², Project

We believe the identity of a place is strengthened by its traditions: architectural elements that endure, evolve, and are passed down through generations. Casa Mar embraces the roots of Mediterranean architecture: covered and semi-covered spaces, terraces oriented towards vistas, rooms overlooking the courtyard, and the textures and colors of different materials.

We believe inhabiting takes on different forms as it responds to the individuals who make the place their own. In this project, we envision people who are drawn to the sea, the sun, the shade and the trees. Thus, we aim to revive the values and atmospheres of traditional Mediterranean architecture by creating a cluster of volumes that evoke the feeling of living in a coastal village. The sea attracts and captivates us. The privilege of this plot is being in front of it. Our challenge was to maximize its potential.

50 waterfront residences, Private, 2018, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 32.346 m², Project

The project is a residential complex located in the Moncloa district, on the outskirts of Madrid. The area is a green oasis, a protected natural area near the El Pardo mountain and the Manzanares river. The project originated from the location, the topography, the green landscape, the water, the tranquility. The atmospheres created respond to this landscape and also accommodate the diversity of ways of living.

We arranged the nine homes along the landscape of large private garden areas and communal areas that included a spa, hammam, water channels, and a gym.

11 houses outside Madrid, Mabel Capital Promotora, 2019, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 6400 m², Project

A low-density neighborhood with abundant vegetation. An irregular and small plot. Local regulations clearly delineating surface areas by levels and restricting heights per floor. These were the premises for designing this Mediterranean dwelling, which we wanted to have direct contact with nature and harness the area’s winds. The existing limitations became the fundamental design variables.

House in Vilassar de Mar, Private, 2011, , , Pepo Segura, , , 380 m², Built

Inhabiting means making a place one’s own, rooting oneself, respecting it enough to recognize the landscape as a part of the self. This project began with awareness of the natural territory, a mountain full of pine trees cascading towards to the sea. These pines form a protective mass of trees overlooking the flat topography of the area: isolated as to not hear the noise of the surrounding infrastructure, yet close enough to the sea to be reached by foot.

The project involves urban development and the architectual design of five single-family and twenty multi-family homes. Instead of building isolated stuctures on plots, we conceived a strategy involving the manipulation of topography through stone walls typical of the area, shaping the ground levels of each building. This approach results in a sequence of residences interconnected by these walls, emerging from the earth in stone and transitioning into concrete as they ascend.

Caldetas, Private, 2018, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 3000 m², Project

Located in Baqueira, a village in the Catalan Pyrenees, we envisioned two houses on a steep terrain. From the ourset, the project takes inspiration from the typical chalet of the Aran Valley, consisting of a stone base supporting an upper wooden structure.

Once again, approaching the site as respectful observers of the local context, we have reinterpreted this typology to use indigenous materials through contemporary construction technologies, and on the other hand, gather all resting areas at the stone base.

This allows for a close connection between resting and a secluded space in direct contact with the natural environment. The transience and imperfection of stone and wood are the reasons for choosing and working with these materials.

Two villas in the Spanish Pyrenees, Private, 2019, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 2.100 m², Project

We wanted to play with the design of a courtyard house with the idea of creating a point of energetic tension, a place where action is concentrated and directs the structure of the entire project. We complemented this idea with the implantation: the house integrates into nature as a village construction does, recognizing and responding to the topography.

We proposed a simple geometry, a square with a central courtyard. The initial view is that of a blind block, with no openings other than the entrance door, with the intention of providing complete privacy to the interior. This entrance leads directly to an inner courtyard at the center, which directs the journey to the other side of the house, where imposing views of the sea open completely.

Begur House, Private, 2017, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 425 m², Project

The traditional local architecture and the mountains serve as the inspirational elements for this house: 19th-century French chalets and the grandeur of nature. The challenge was to reinterpret this architecture, as requested by the client, without it being overly influenced by the modernity of contemporary forms or materials.

We created a house where one can feel the authenticity of the surroundings in a contemporary refuge, a careful blend of industrial materials—such as cross-laminated timber—with natural and local materials—particularly stone and aged wood. This made it possible to create a play of solid and heavy structures with voids and lightness. The building, then, is a large wooden structure that overlooks the landscape and entirely rests on a stone base.

House in Font Romeu II, Private, 2020, , , Mano Arquitectura, , , 397 m², Under construction