巴塞罗那的反派之家丨西班牙巴塞罗那丨Architecture Office Claudia Raurell

On the northern slope of Barcelona’s Montjuic, the Villain House by Architecture Office Clàudia Raurell is a striking example of thoughtful design. The project is situated on a trapezoidal plot bordered by two party walls, where a precarious self-built shack once stood. The location, marked by Julià Street at an elevation of 55 metres above sea level, provides a privileged relationship with the urban fabric, akin to an immobile cable car embedded in the mountain’s slope.

Raurell’s design philosophy for the Villain House is rooted in a bidirectional dialogue with the city. From the inside out, the boundaries of the exterior enclosures dissolve, integrating the cityscape as a permanent backdrop. Conversely, from the outside in, the house emerges as a new urban landmark. “The new volume becomes a beacon for the city,” says Raurell.

Volumetrically, the house replicates the original structure, except for a void on the ground floor created by doubling the facade on Julià Street. This allows for the introduction of a glass skin parallel to the preserved original wall, establishing a modern, functional, and eco-efficient patio space.

The ground floor hosts the main living areas, while the first floor accommodates a guest room and a small studio. The interior layout strategically places volumes to define and isolate spaces without doors, promoting deep, crossed views and dynamic circulation. The exterior materiality features straw-coloured tones reminiscent of the original masonry, while the interior, marked by the glass skin, embraces various shades of grey, achieving a raw, honest brutalism that celebrates the structure’s history and scars. “This project understands rehabilitation as a hybrid exercise between consolidation and reconstruction,” Raurell explains.

The new patio serves as a climate regulator, facilitating cross-ventilation and providing shade through the preserved original wall. The rehabilitation process involved a hybrid approach of consolidation and reconstruction, acknowledging the limited architectural value of the self-built original structure. An initial archaeological phase aimed to recover and integrate layers of the site’s historical sediment, fostering a dialogue between the old and the new.

By embracing both the old and the new, Raurell’s Villain House offers a compelling vision of sustainable and contextually aware urban living.

[Images courtesy of Claudia Raurell. Photography by José Hevia and Clemente Vergara (note: Vergara’s images are only seen in the photo gallery).]