Gaspar House

Alberto Campo Baeza – Casa Gaspar (Gaspar House), Vejer, Cadiz, Spain, 1992

The architect, at the request of the client who wanted absolute independence, decided to create a closed enclosure, a “hortus conclusus” or a closed grove. The house, defined by four 3,5-meter walls, is based on a square of 18 x 18 meters divided into three equal parts. Only the central part is covered. The square is then divided transversely by two, 2-meter high, walls into three parts with the proportions A, 2A, A, the service pieces are located on the sides. The roofing of the central space is higher, 4,5 meters. At the points where the low walls intersect with the higher ones, four simply glazed openings are made. It is through these four openings that the horizontal plane of the stone flooring expands, effectively achieving continuity between the interior and exterior.

The white color of all the walls contributes to the clarity and continuity of the architecture. The double symmetry of the composition is emphasized by the symmetrical placement of four lemon trees, which produce contemplative reflections.
The light in this house is horizontal and continuous, mirrored by the east-west orientation of the courtyard walls. Simply, a horizontal, continuous space is stretched by a horizontal light.