Architects: Ricardo Bofill
Year: 1968
Photographs: Ricardo Bofill
Town: Calpe/Calpe
Country: Spain
La Muralla Roja, designed by Ricardo Bofill in Calpe, Spain, reinterprets Mediterranean architecture with its bold fortress-like structure. Inspired by the traditional North African casbah, it blends public and private spaces through interlocking stairs, platforms, and bridges that connect 50 apartments in three layouts: 60 sqm studios, 80 sqm two-bedroom units, and 120 sqm three-bedroom units. Residents enjoy roof terraces, solariums, a swimming pool, and a sauna. Vibrant red facades contrast with the landscape, while blue and violet tones in circulation areas create harmony with the sky. Organized as a labyrinth based on the Greek cross, the design embodies constructivist principles, merging traditional and modern elements.
La Muralla Roja, meaning “The Red Wall” in Spanish, is a residential project situated within the La Manzanera development in Calpe, Spain. The design draws heavily from the traditional architecture of the Arab Mediterranean region, inspired by the casbah’s rich Mediterranean heritage. The vibrant colors adorning the exterior and interior facades were carefully chosen to either create a striking contrast with the natural surroundings or enhance their inherent purity.
Shaped like a fortress, La Muralla Roja appears to rise organically from the rocky cliffs on which it is built. Its layout reinterprets the traditional casbah—a walled citadel typical of North African architecture—while addressing the growing separation between public and private spaces. Featuring interconnected stairs, platforms, and bridges, the design offers a contemporary take on the circulation patterns of a typical casbah, providing access to the 50 apartments that make up the structure.
The project’s complexity is further reflected in the division of apartments into three sizes: 60 sqm studios, 80 sqm two-bedroom units, and 120 sqm three-bedroom units. Ricardo Bofill’s intent to elevate the living experience is evident in the inclusion of roof terraces, solariums, a swimming pool, and a sauna, all exclusively available for residents.
The exterior facade is painted in varying shades of red, emphasizing its contrast with the surrounding landscape. In contrast, the stairs and circulation areas feature tones of blue, ranging from sky-blue to indigo and even violet, chosen based on whether the goal is to create a striking contrast with the sky or to establish visual continuity with it.
La Muralla Roja is aptly described as a labyrinth, designed with a precise geometric layout based on the Greek cross typology, featuring arms that extend five meters. The intersecting points of the crosses are occupied by service towers, which house the kitchens and bathrooms. As noted by Taller de Arquitectura, “the geometric basis of the layout is also an approximation of the theories of constructivism, and makes La Muralla Roja a very clear evocation of these.”
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Project Location
Address: Partida Manzanera, 3, 03710 Calpe, Alicante, Spain
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
