La Muralla Roja

Where: Partida Manzanera, 3, 03710 Calpe, Alicante, Spain

When: Fully constructed by 1973

Was inspired by the Arab Mediterranean Architecture, particularly the adobe (clay brick) towers found in North Africa. Bofill deliberately deviated traditional architectural practice of dividing public and private spaces, by reinterpreting the Mediterranean tradition of casbah.

La Muralla Roja’s geometric plan was based on the typology of the Greek cross and is often described as a “Labyrinth.” The building evokes the contructivist achitecture style, which was developed in the Societ Union in the 1920s that incorporated ‘straight lines, cylinders, cubes and merged elements of the modern age.’

Clear seperation between exterior and interior to define common areas, courtyards and stairs which were painted with the blue hues.

Red Hues painted on the exterior facadeto emphasise the structure’s bold contrast with the rocky landscape.