House X

Emerging as though from the bedrock itself, House X evokes the enduring presence of a thousand-year-old fortress—affirming the inextricable relationship between architectural language, landscape, and cultural history. Designed by Bojaus Arquitectura, the residence is located in the hillside terrain of Valdemorillo, a semi-rural area on the outskirts of Madrid. The sloped site is defined by rugged granite outcrops and anchored by a centuries-old oak at its center, with native vegetation growing freely between massive stones. Confronted with such a powerful natural context, the architects looked to José Antonio Coderch’s Casa Ugalde for inspiration, following his principle of letting architecture emerge from the landscape.

The design draws from two culturally and geographically distinct typologies of the Iberian Peninsula: the fortified stone bastions of the Castilian plateau, and the granite-dwelling stone houses of Monsanto in Portugal. These references are not imitated literally but abstracted into a formal strategy that embeds the house into the topography. From the Castilian castles comes a sense of permanence through mass and thickness; from Monsanto, a deep respect for the geological context—allowing the building to become part of the rock itself. The resulting spatial experience is both new and strangely familiar, a contemporary language that speaks through place and time.

The structure is constructed entirely from in-situ concrete made with locally sourced stone aggregate, poured manually in successive 60 cm layers. With walls up to 50 cm thick, the result is a thermally robust envelope whose exposed, coarse surface texture resonates with the granite terrain—making the house feel less like a construction and more like a natural extrusion of the land itself. Inside, oak flooring provides warmth, while walnut cabinetry softens the tone further, balancing the austerity of the concrete. Limestone finishes in the terraces and bathrooms subtly echo the surrounding geology, and aluminium-wood hybrid window frames are set deep within the massive walls, drawing light inward and framing moments of shifting landscape.

Unlike many contemporary projects that celebrate demountability or flexibility as measures of sustainability, House X embraces the idea of endurance. While conventional homes are often designed with a projected lifespan of 50 years, this house is conceived to remain—anchored to the site like the oaks and stones that surround it. Bojaus Arquitectura proposes a residential philosophy that sees architecture not as an isolated object but as part of a broader temporal and ecological continuum—one that accepts weathering, inhabits permanence, and grows old slowly and gracefully with the land.

Design | Bojaus Arquitectura

Photography | Luis Asín @asinluis