Location: Alfinach, Valencia, Spain
Architects: Viraje Arquitectura
Area: 411 m²
Year: 2024
Designed by the Spanish firm Viraje Arquitectura, El Recer House is a modern refuge conceived for a family of five. Situated on a sloping plot in Valencia that descends toward a stream, the home’s very name is a statement of intent; “El Recer” is Valencian for “The Shelter.” The project masterfully embodies this concept, presenting a fortress-like face to the public while breaking away to intertwine with the landscape in a celebration of private, communal living.
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The home’s dual personality is its most striking feature. From the street, it appears as a massive, opaque volume of precast concrete, a completely sealed main façade that turns its back on the outside world to ensure absolute privacy. But once this threshold is crossed, the home reveals its true nature. The monolithic structure gives way to an open and light-filled sanctuary that is fully connected to the exterior space and the lush views beyond.
The architecture is intelligently organized into several volumes that cascade down the natural slope of the land. This clever design creates subtle and elegant shifts in level between the rooms, generating dynamic, intersecting views throughout the interior and visually connecting the different zones of the house. A large central circulation axis divides the home into its intimate, social, and service areas, creating a clear and intuitive flow.
Precast concrete is the central material, chosen for its durability and strength, but it is treated in an organic and friendly way. Two curved concrete walls, like the entrance to a modern cave, guide visitors down a descending path to the sheltered entrance porch. Inside, a sculptural staircase of steel and wood descends into the main hall, providing a warm and artistic counterpoint to the raw concrete. The main living space, with its 3-meter-high ceilings and large, east-facing openings, is the true heart of the home, opening onto a large porch and a private, enclosed terrace.
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Powered by sustainable systems like aerothermal energy and photovoltaic panels, El Recer House is a testament to thoughtful, contemporary design, a home that provides a powerful sense of shelter while remaining completely open to the beauty of the natural world.
