In the realm of contemporary residential architecture, the prevailing impulse is frequently one of absolute tabula rasa—a complete clearing of the slate to make way for sleek, modern interventions. However, a growing movement of thoughtful architectural practices is challenging this throwaway culture by anchoring new designs in the ghosts of the past. Casa Florinda (Florinda House), designed and inhabited by the principals of Alvariño & Felipe Arquitectos, stands as a masterclass in this philosophy of adaptive reuse, spatial dialogue, and material honesty.
Located on a quiet plot acquired by the architects as a canvas for their personal lives and professional experimentation, the project originated from a fundamental design dilemma: what to do with the dilapidated, ruinous remains of a traditional earthen house that already occupied the site. Initially slated for complete demolition to streamline the construction process, the structure exerted an unexpected pull on the designers. Its visceral, quiet integration into the landscape—a testament to vernacular building traditions and the passage of time—ultimately arrested the wrecking ball.
By choosing to preserve, adapt, and weave the earthen ruins into a contemporary living framework, Alvariño & Felipe Arquitectos achieved a rare synthesis. Florinda House is not merely a residence; it is a living laboratory where the personal and the professional collide. It tests the limits of architectural convictions, exploring how ancient materialities like earth, wood, and glass can coexist in a seamless continuum. Curated for the global architectural discourse by Valentina Díaz and captured through the lens of photographer Nicolas Provoste, this residential project bridges the gap between historical preservation and forward-thinking design, offering a compelling blueprint for how architects can build upon the foundations of yesterday.
Detailed Chronology: The Evolution of Casa Florinda
Phase I: Discovery, Acquisition, and the Initial Dilemma
The genesis of Casa Florinda dates back to the acquisition of a plot of land characterized by its overgrown terrain and the presence of an abandoned, structurally compromised vernacular building. Built primarily from traditional rammed earth (tapial or adobe), the structure was weathered, roofless in sections, and largely written off as a liability by conventional development standards.
When Alvariño & Felipe Arquitectos first walked the site, the standard real estate and construction calculus pointed toward total clearance. A blank slate offers unmitigated freedom: zero structural constraints, predictable geometric layouts, and freedom from the quirks and compromises inherent in retrofitting heritage footprints. The initial blueprints, in fact, accounted for the complete removal of the earthen walls to erect a contemporary, lightweight pavilion.
Phase II: The Epiphany of Site-Specificity
Architecture, at its core, is an exercise in listening to a place. As the design team spent more time on the land, the initial urge to erase began to give way to a profound architectural respect. The ruined earthen house possessed a quality that cannot be manufactured: a profound sense of belonging. Its weathered walls, textured by decades of weathering, sat comfortably within the topography, establishing a historical dialogue with the immediate environment that a newly poured foundation could never instantly replicate.
This realization prompted a radical pivot. The architects abandoned the demolition plans in favor of a conservation-led strategy. The ruined earth wall was no longer viewed as an obstacle, but as the generative core of the entire project. This turning point merged two previously distinct dimensions of the architects’ lives: the domestic sphere of living and the intellectual sphere of architectural practice. Casa Florinda would not just house them; it would test their philosophical convictions regarding sustainability, material memory, and the poetics of space.
Phase III: Integration and Construction
The construction phase of Casa Florinda demanded a delicate dance between ancient craft and modern engineering. Preserving an earthen ruin requires structural stabilization without stripping away its historic patina. Alvariño & Felipe Arquitectos meticulously reinforced the surviving walls, introducing contemporary framing elements—predominantly warm timber beams and expansive sheets of glass—that juxtaposed the heavy, opaque earth with lightness and transparency.
The interior layout was organized around the volumetric footprint of the old house, allowing the original masonry to dictate the rhythm of daily life. Circulation paths were carved through historical thresholds, and new living volumes were grafted onto the old footprint. By the time photography by Nicolas Provoste captured the completed project, Casa Florinda presented as a cohesive architectural organism: part ancient ruin, part modern sanctuary, bound together by meticulous detailing and a shared material language of wood, glass, and raw earth.
Supporting Context & Metrics: Materiality, Spatial Dynamics, and Philosophy
To fully understand the significance of Casa Florinda, one must examine the broader architectural currents it engages with. Adaptive reuse in residential architecture has transitioned from a niche ecological strategy to a major design movement. In an era marked by climate anxiety and resource scarcity, preserving existing embodied carbon—particularly in high-mass materials like earth and stone—carries profound environmental benefits.
Material Palette
Earthen Masonry (The Historical Anchor): The retained walls of the original structure provide massive thermal mass, regulating interior temperatures naturally by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it slowly at night. Visually, the earthen surfaces anchor the project to the ground, offering rich textures and earthen hues that contrast with refined modern interventions.
Structural Timber: Wood plays a dual role at Casa Florinda. Used generously for exposed ceiling beams, interior framing, and custom millwork, it introduces a biophilic warmth that bridges the gap between the heavy exterior earth and the airy glass openings.
Glass and Transparency: Large-format glazing punctures the heavy envelope, dissolving the boundary between interior living spaces and the surrounding landscape. This strategic use of transparency invites natural light deep into the historic floor plan, preventing the dense earthen rooms from feeling dark or claustrophobic.
Spatial Typology
The architectural strategy employed by Alvariño & Felipe Arquitectos relies on the concept of architectural layering. Rather than erasing the past or attempting to mimic it with faux-historic additions, the practice embraced a clear "old versus new" tectonic distinction. Visitors and residents can easily read the timeline of the house: where the ancient earthen walls end and where the contemporary wood-and-glass pavilions begin. This honesty creates a dynamic spatial experience, shifting the inhabitant continuously between enclosed, cave-like sanctuaries of deep earth and open, light-filled pavilions oriented toward the outdoors.
Official Statements and Design Intentions
In their official design statement, provided exclusively by the architects, the philosophical underpinnings of Casa Florinda are laid bare:
"Casa Florinda began with a question: what to do with the old earthen house that stood in ruins on the land we had acquired to build our home? Although our first plans involved tearing it down, something about the way it belonged to the site prevented us from doing so.
The decision to preserve it ultimately intertwined two dimensions of our lives: living and making architecture. Thus, the old structure would become our home and the place where we would test our own convictions about architecture."
This statement underscores a rare vulnerability in contemporary architectural discourse. Too often, architects present projects as fully resolved, infallible achievements born of clear linear processes. Alvariño & Felipe Arquitectos, by contrast, reveal their project as a journey of hesitation, self-doubt, and ultimate revelation. By making their own home a testing ground for their ethos, they elevate the stakes of their work. The house is an ongoing experiment in living closely with history—a testament to the belief that constraints, whether financial, spatial, or historical, are often the greatest catalysts for creative brilliance.
Future Outlook: The Legacy of Casa Florinda
As residential architecture looks toward a future defined by sustainability, spatial flexibility, and emotional resonance, projects like Casa Florinda point the way forward. The practice of Alvariño & Felipe Arquitectos has demonstrated that the most innovative design solutions are not always found in the latest manufacturing catalogues or computational algorithms, but occasionally in the quiet, weathered ruins sitting right beneath our feet.
Looking ahead, Casa Florinda is poised to become a reference point for young architectural practices grappling with the ethics of building on occupied or previously developed land. It challenges the hegemony of total demolition and suburban sprawl, proving that historic conservation and contemporary domestic comfort are not mutually exclusive.
By embedding their own lives within the very walls they chose to save, Alvariño & Felipe Arquitectos have authored more than just a successful residential project. They have crafted a manifesto in earth and timber—one that asserts architecture is at its best when it respects what came before while fearlessly opening up to what comes next.
