Located near the Biscayan coast in Spain, Casa Rosa by Polo Estudio offers a modern interpretation of the Basque farmhouse. Designed in 2024, the house features compact concrete volumes that blend traditional construction with contemporary living.
Located near the Biscayan coast, Casa Rosa by Polo Estudio stands as a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Basque farmhouse. This house merges time-honored construction values with a contemporary lifestyle, resulting in an architecture defined by transitional spaces and load-bearing walls.
The design features intermediate spaces that bridge the interior with the exterior, creating three distinct areas of increasing privacy. A sheltered threshold on the north facade provides entry, leading to a spacious south-facing porch that serves as the home’s social hub. On the upper floor, an intimate terrace offers seclusion, inviting rest and contemplation, while remaining hidden from street and garden views.
The load-bearing walls double as both structure and facade, breaking free from the constraints of traditional stone walls. Generously sized windows are strategically placed to shield the house from the Cantabrian Sea winds while ensuring privacy and ample light. The north and west facades are more compact, contrasting the permeable south and east facades.
These walls, crafted from colored reinforced concrete, offer a distinctive yet harmonious character with a sienna-colored pigment mixed throughout. This approach results in a continuous material, allowing the effects of time to naturally show.
Executed with a functional and natural demeanor, the concrete does not hide the imperfections and traces from the formwork elements. The project’s sincerity shines through as it reveals the facade as the structure itself, rather than a decorative skin.
Concrete’s Structural Potential and Interior Layout
Concrete’s structural potential is further realized on the main facade, where the upper portion functions as a massive beam, permitting a 13-meter wide window without intermediate supports. This large opening connects the main interior space of the living-dining room and kitchen to the exterior.
Inside, the house offers a natural separation between daytime spaces on the ground floor, including a guest room, and nighttime spaces on the first floor with an open terrace overlooking the Plencia valley. Additionally, a garage and ample storage space are available in the basement.
In the living room, the sofa designed by Mario Ruiz for Joquer stands out. An oak coffee table from Vincent Van Duysen’s collection for Zara Home and a floor lamp from Danish firm Hay complement the space.
The dining room features a large stained solid oak table by Rowico Sweden, matched with the space’s soft colors. The set is completed with upholstered chairs from KH and a herringbone rug from the Alfresco series by KP.
Polo Estudio designed the stained oak kitchen, crafted by a local manufacturer. Two side doors provide access to the laundry area and a small pantry. Solid oak stools by Nathan Yong for Ethnicraft accompany the kitchen island, while a linear lamp by AC studio is suspended above.
Photography by Erlantz Biderbost
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