Skip to content

Published on Leave a comment on Spanish Architecture: Headquarters Caja de Badajoz by Studio Lamela

Badajoz is a medium-sized Spanish city located in the southern Extremadura autonomous community, next to the Portuguese border. Although Merida is the capital of the community and its touristic reference, Badajoz is the largest, most populated and probably the most relevant city of the region, both in terms of economic health and general basic services. This is mostly due to its historical existence near the border, commercial traditions (the Portuguese used to come here to buy caramels) and geophysical characteristics, such as the Gévora River (the city lies at the point where it connects with the larger Guadiana River).

The Caja Badajoz is an important bank for this proud community. It’s the main savings bank in town and it’s the most relevant economic representation of the inhabitants, who are quite conservative. The main goal of this project was to give a powerful physical expression to that immaterial importance by building the new headquarters of the bank on a plot located in the banks of the aforementioned river, next to the Puente Real Bridge. After a restricted tender back in 2007, the chosen team was the Madrid-based Studio Lamela Architects.

Caja Badajoz - Spanish Architecture: Headquarters Caja de Badajoz by Studio Lamela
...continue reading "Spanish Architecture: Headquarters Caja de Badajoz by Studio Lamela"

Published on Leave a comment on Spanish Property Market: House Prices Rise on Quarterly Basis

House prices in Spain rose on a quarterly basis for the first time since the middle of 2010 in the third quarter of this year, but experts were quick to point out that this does not mean that the housing market has started to emerge from trough it plunged into around the start of 2008.

house in Alhaurín 224x300 - Spanish Property Market: House Prices Rise on Quarterly BasisAccording to figures released by the National Statistics Institute (INE), house prices climbed 0.7 percent in the period July-September from the previous three months.

Prices on average have fallen over 40 percent from their highs around the end of 2007 after more than doubling over the course of a decade-long boom that turned to bust.

The INE said that home sales in October declined 10 percent from the same month a year earlier to 22,770, the lowest figure since March and one of the lowest since the real estate bubble burst.

Although the economy emerged from an extended recession in the third quarter of this year, a jobless rate of 26 percent remains a major impediment to a recovery in the housing market, which still has an estimated glut of some 600,000 housing units. Banks have also tightened up on lending, citing a lack of “solvent demand.”

Would-be home buyers are finding it hard to secure the necessary funding at current prices and seven out of 10 transactions taking place are in cash.
...continue reading "Spanish Property Market: House Prices Rise on Quarterly Basis"

Published on Leave a comment on Contemporary Villa for Sale in Benalmádena (Málaga)

4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, Swimming-pool, Seaside Resort, Second Hand, Luxury property, In Urban Area, Benalmádena, Málaga

Contemporary villa built in 2008 to the highest standards.

Distribution: Top floor (street level) entrance hall and master bed with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.
Main level (garden level) living area, kitchen and 'east wing' with 3 bedrooms, the largest with ensuite plus one bath and one gusts toilet in hall.
Basement with large storage and garage for 3 cars. Extras: Advanced heating and cooling system. Domotic, multifunction blinds, prepared for lift, and much more!.

The price is 850,000 €.

Click on the following link to view more information about this property: spainhouses.net

2208118 1205122 foto25158045 - Contemporary Villa for Sale in Benalmádena (Málaga)
...continue reading "Contemporary Villa for Sale in Benalmádena (Málaga)"

Published on Leave a comment on Social Housing Units in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country

In Vitoria-Gasteiz, a town in northern Spain, a housing block has created 242 apartments for the socially disadvantaged.

The U-shaped structure is capped on one end with a 21-storey tower. The remaining three sides rise between four and seven stories, creating a gently sloping roof. Since this roof is visible from the tower it was treated as a ‘fifth façade,’ the architects say, meaning it was coated in the same red hue as the exterior-facing walls.

The tower maximizes sunlight onto windows and patios. Inside, bedrooms have been positioned to overlook the central garden, while kitchens face outwards toward surrounding streets.

‘The public area of the house is linked with its urban equivalent,’ says architect Iñaki Garai Zabala of ACXT. ‘The more private one destined for rest is linked with the inner courtyard as a space of peace and quiet.’

Social Housing in Vitoria2 - Social Housing Units in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country
...continue reading "Social Housing Units in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country"

Published on Leave a comment on The Construction of a Skyscraper in Marbella, Malaga (Costa del Sol)

Since Marbella Town Hall approved modifications to local planning restrictions to allow the construction of skyscrapers in the municipality, so far only one project has been put forward. 4476854 1121096 foto 890638 300x171 - The Construction of a Skyscraper in Marbella, Malaga (Costa del Sol)The plans envisage a 30-storey residential block reaching 115 metres above sea level on the Istán road. The high rise block would be designed by Catalán architect Ricardo Bofill, thanks to negotiations with the developers that are in their final stages.

While several investment groups from Spain and further afield have shown an interest, this is the only definite project that has reached the local planning offices.

The site for the block would be near the Istán road, just over a kilometre from the coast, and not far from the Olivia Valere night club, Les Roches hotel management school and Manolo Santana’s tennis club. The project is for a solely residential building with a maximum of four luxury flats per floor.
...continue reading "The Construction of a Skyscraper in Marbella, Malaga (Costa del Sol)"

3

Published on 3 Comments on Beautiful Country House for Sale in Sils, Girona

La Selva, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, In Rural Area, Sils, Girona, Catalonia

Masia located in a idyllic place, with good access, flat land, all fenced, garden, orchard, vineyard, petanque, forest and close to a village with all the amenities and communications. The house consists of: Ground floor: hall, kitchen, office, dining room with fireplace, large living room with access to the terrace with green and panoramical views, toilet and machines. First floor: 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and study room. Annexes: garage, greenhouse, barbecue, pergola, garden. Water, electricity, heating, private well (a lot of water). Perfect place to stay in touch with nature and enjoy the true quality of life.

The price is 690,000 €.

More information on the following link: spainhouses.net

House in Sils - Beautiful Country House for Sale in Sils, Girona
...continue reading "Beautiful Country House for Sale in Sils, Girona"

Published on Leave a comment on Spanish Architecture: Casa V in La Coruña, by Dosis de Arquitectura

Casa V consists on the rehabilitation, adaptation and expansion of an existing house, located in Oleiros (La Coruña), designed and built in the early 1960’s.

The intention of the project is to make a place where three generations of one same family can enjoy their holiday simultaneously. For that purpose, a new house is made for the two younger generations, which consists on a side wing that articulates itself with the old building on the northeast. The rooftop of this new house serves as a private garden for the pre-existing house as a landscape response to the existing topography. The original house accommodates now the spaces for family and social interaction, as well as the rooms of the first generation. Each family member has its own independence while remaining a part of a single set. A multilayered wall defined by a single construction detail, which serves both as structure and as thermal and environmental overcoat, meanders in order to embrace the multiplicity of events that occur in the house. Spaces are defined by the unfolding of matter in space-time, which topologically adapts itself to what happens inside. The new house is formalized by the continuous flow of a completely neutral wrap – no edges, no color, no texture - and, within this wrapping, life, action, is the protagonist.

casav - Spanish Architecture: Casa V in La Coruña, by Dosis de Arquitectura

...continue reading "Spanish Architecture: Casa V in La Coruña, by Dosis de Arquitectura"

Published on Leave a comment on Construction Industry Shows Signs of Recovery in Malaga Province

The construction industry is beginning to show signs of life again, thanks to the high-end property sector, which so far this year has experienced a growth which is even greater than that achieved in 2012.

1227230 18740474 1 300x199 - Construction Industry Shows Signs of Recovery in Malaga ProvinceAccording to figures from the DOM3 association, which encompasses 23 companies related to the construction of this type of property, 60 houses costing more than one million euros were built in 2011 in the triangle formed by Marbella, Estepona and Benahavís, with a global investment of 250 million euros, while 2012 ended with 75 houses built and 300 million euros invested. That was a 20 per cent increase in the number of properties, but this year, growth in this sector is even higher.

The president of the association, Sofía Polo, attributes this growth above all to flourishing foreign markets and greater confidence in the Spanish economy from those who are considering investing in this country. Another factor that permits this sector to perform better lies in the easy access to credit for this segment of the market and the fact that a high percentage of buyers do not need bank financing.
...continue reading "Construction Industry Shows Signs of Recovery in Malaga Province"

Published on Leave a comment on Modern Style Villa for Sale in Malaga City

5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, Swimming-pool, Seaside Resort, Second Hand, Luxury property, In Urban Area, In a mountain area, Malaga

Unique contemporary design villa, recently built in a privileged position (south facing), enjoying the magnificent views of the coast of Malaga and Sierra de Mijas from the house. Its location allows to reach the city centre or the airport in ten minutes. One step away from the University, Schools, Hospitals and Malls. The building has 3 floors of approximately 500 square metres on a plot of 850 square metres. Main floor: 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, laundry room and sun terrace. Parking area for 3 cars. Second floor: main bedroom suite with bathroom and great dressing room. Large terrace with panoramic views. Ground floor: loft apartment with 75 square metres room and bathroom. Garage for 2 cars. 9 x 4 metres pool with overflowing saline system. 70 square meters storage. Features: Glazed porcelain floors all throughout the house. Interior woodwork in cherry veneer. Quality aluminium exterior with double and triple glazing in the living room. Cutting edge bathroom fittings. Fully equipped German kitchen with imported granite countertops. Underfloor heating in bathrooms. Motorized blinds. Centralized air conditioning in each floor. Water heating by solar panels. Alarm, satellite TV, 3 entryphones with video monitoring. Fully furnished.

The price is 1,500,000 €.

Click on the following link to view more information about this beautiful villa: spainhouses.net

128 - Modern Style Villa for Sale in Malaga City
...continue reading "Modern Style Villa for Sale in Malaga City"

Published on Leave a comment on Contemporary Architecture in Spain: Tiny Apartment in Madrid by MYCC

This singular urban shelter, located in Madrid, is just twenty square metres and nevertheless is one hundred cubic metres of volume. In such an enclosed space should a single person live and work. He will use his creativity and dynamism to make it his own sweet home.

This Madrid apartment, even with its small size, wants to offer generous spaces and a big quantity of different pieces of use. The pieces that make it up, does not really have a fixed clearly defined use: the kitchen is a walk-through room to get the living. There are stands rather than stairs to go down the living, which is over a cellar-storage room. Then, it is possible to get the ladder to go up to the indoor sunny terrace, a place to be used as a study or a chill out. Also the central living room connects through four steps to the bathroom. This is an oversized kind of luxury room that holds even an in-situ cosy kind of hamman bath.

Construction and finishing are made in a direct and unadorned way and all is full of bright white.

tiny apartment in madrid - Contemporary Architecture in Spain: Tiny Apartment in Madrid by MYCC
...continue reading "Contemporary Architecture in Spain: Tiny Apartment in Madrid by MYCC"