Villa Luisa has been redesigned to transform a historic building into a functional and attractive 21st-century home.

Located in the Horta-Guinardó district of Barcelona, this elevated area is well-connected to the city centre while offering a more open urban fabric, giving the impression of being far removed from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis.

The steep slope of the site and the inherited positioning of the house provide perfect orientation and distant views of the Mediterranean.

To accommodate the functional program’s required expansion, we took advantage of the topography’s gradient, creating an intermediate platform that houses the missing elements: a pool and solarium, with a garage seamlessly integrated beneath. The materials used for the expansion—concrete walls and a wooden deck—allow the new structure to stand apart from the original building without mimicking it, fostering a harmonious dialogue between old and new instead.

Inside, reconfiguring the position of one staircase segment allowed us to enhance the unification of spaces, dissolve old boundaries, and create cross-views while capturing the southern natural light that now extends to the northern façade.

A new staircase leading to the ground floor internally connects the “elevated” house to a versatile space that opens onto the garden.

This interplay between the dignified early 20th-century building and our 21st-century intervention imbues Villa Luisa with qualities well-suited to contemporary living. Open, luminous, and respectful, Villa Luisa underscores the many virtues of its owners while preserving the site’s historic and scenic character.