Barcelona-based SIGLA Studio has completed an innovative single-family residence in Cardedeu, Spain, that reimagines modern living through a unique design centered around two interior courtyards. The Patio House was specifically designed for a young couple with two children who wanted to escape their cramped, compartmentalized apartment and create a home that could evolve alongside their changing family needs over time.
Built on a narrow, deep plot, the house features an ingenious organizational strategy that forms a protective brick perimeter around two inner patios, which the architects describe as "lungs" that breathe life into the home. These courtyards serve multiple functions, providing the family with privacy from neighbors, enabling cross-ventilation throughout the house, and creating a carefully measured relationship with natural daylight that changes throughout the day and seasons.
The home's flexible design allows for future reconfiguration without any construction work. Currently, the parents' suite is located upstairs while the children occupy interconnected rooms on the ground floor. However, this arrangement can be completely inverted as the family grows older, with the ground floor potentially becoming the main sleeping area and upper rooms being merged or divided simply by rethinking their use.
The design philosophy was heavily influenced by the architects' encounter with the Georg Kolbe Museum House in Berlin years earlier, which left a lasting impression of a place that remained relevant nearly a century after its construction. This sense of timeless durability guided SIGLA Studio's approach to creating an environment designed to be lived in, aged into, and reinterpreted by future occupants. The strategy also draws inspiration from references such as Alvar Aalto's Muuratsalo house, where brick walls define, shelter, and mediate the relationship with nature.
Responding to the constraints of the tight site, the architects established the ground floor as a near-complete footprint while respecting required setbacks and shaping an inward-facing domestic world. The two strategic patios—one positioned at the entrance and another by the pool area—function as the lungs of the home, distributing daylight and fresh air to every room. Around these breathing spaces, the team organized all the day-to-day living areas, including an entrance hall, kitchen, dining and living rooms, a full bathroom, laundry facilities, garage, and a multipurpose area.
The upper level features two large rooms that can be flexibly divided into four separate spaces, while a central landing provides additional space for studying, reading, or children's play activities. This adaptable layout ensures that the house can accommodate changing family dynamics and needs over the years without requiring structural modifications.
The house is anchored by its distinctive handmade brick, which was specially produced at Forn d'Obra Duran, one of Catalonia's last remaining artisanal kilns. Each brick is individually shaped from natural clay, slow-dried, and wood-fired, creating subtle variations across walls, pavements, window sills, and copings throughout the property. The brick serves multiple roles as the structure, the building envelope, and the surface material underfoot, creating a cohesive aesthetic throughout the home.
By selecting a material that develops a natural patina over time, the architects reinforced their commitment to longevity and environmental coherence. The choice reflects a philosophy of designing for permanence rather than temporary trends, ensuring that the house will age gracefully and maintain its relevance for decades to come.
The interior material palette complements the exterior brick with carefully selected finishes that enhance the home's connection to natural elements. The ground floor features microcement flooring, while natural parquet is used on the upper level. Chestnut wood was chosen for built-in furniture and fixtures, exposed ceramic vaults grace the ceilings, and bathrooms are finished with glazed tiles that echo the handmade quality of the exterior brick.
SIGLA Studio treats natural light as another fundamental structuring element of the design. The house is positioned to receive sunlight from morning to late afternoon, and the layout ensures that occupants remain constantly aware of light's movement, seasonal changes, shifting shadow patterns, and fluctuating intensities throughout the day. This thoughtful approach to daylighting creates a living environment that changes subtly but continuously, reinforcing the architects' philosophy of treating time as both material and method in their design process.
