Casa Selva by Luis Velasco Roldán

Casa Selva, literally “jungle house” in English, is just that; the residence is built among the greens of Selva, Spain. Its designer, Luis Velasco Roldán, capitalizes on the climate of the land to mold the architectural character of the house. In order to blend the exterior influences with the interior construct, Roldán organizes the living spaces around the house’s courtyard and greenhouse. The greenhouse features a retractable roof composed of wooden planks that span over four meters in length. The additional mobility can transform the greenhouse into a veranda, perfect for a lazy summer afternoon, and this dual modality contributes to reduction of the building’s energy consumption – close to sixty percent during the cold of winter. Moveable wooden panels also control the amount of sunlight that floods the kitchen, bathroom, and communal den. The gentle swaying of the white curtains with the slightest breeze creates the sensation that the residence has no walls separating it from the outside, a clever trick employing efficient HVAC design. The sound of birds and the falling rain are extremely palpable through the barely-there glass border separating the manmade and the natural. In contrast, the bedroom is a quiet getaway, but one of its best secrets is the fantastic view of the grassy knolls and urban fabric below.

via – Images ©Jaime Sicilia