Modernist sensibilities and a desire for flexibility are at the center of this strikingly minimal home in Tarragona, a city in northeastern Spain's Catalonia region. For clients who wanted both a breezy home for hot weather and a warm, cozy home for colder periods, Brooklyn firm Fake Industries Architectural Agonism and Spanish firm Aixopluc collaborated to create essentially a 3,550-square-foot two-in-one house.
According to the architects, the lower-level takes a note from the famous glass-and-steel Case Study Houses, particularly with its indoor-outdoor open-frame design. The upper level, distinguished by vaulted brick ceilings, references Le Corbusier's Maison Jaoul, which also features detailed brickwork. Both floors, however, have their own kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms, as well as shutters that allow varying levels of air flow, light, and privacy.