La Muralla Roja by Ricardo Bofill
The following short essay will attempt to give a critical design description and discussion about the housing complex by Ricardo Bofill titled La Muralla Roja — The Red Wall — built in 1973. Both the architectural techniques and design thought process behind it will be discussed, whilst also taking into consideration the complex’s limitations and significance to modern day society.
La Muralla Roja is located on the coasts of Alicante in Spain, whose intital role was to act as that of a local housing complex. The design itself resembles more of a waterfront fortress that emerges from the red coloured dusty hills it is built on. The noticeable connection between the architecture and the space outlines the relationship design has with time and space. The building integrates with the present nature and is an example of organic architecture and how its presence can mark a space.
The space itself constitutes of a surreal vision that is intertwined with stairs and bridges that seem to go everywhere an no where at the same time. They almost appear to be shifting as you walk through them, almost like the multiple staircases in the infamous Harry Potter movies and books. High arches and columns dictate the space and the movement that visitors are lured to follow.
Bofill’s architectural design style brings forward the simplicity of modernism yet intertwines it with the culture and aesthetic of the arab mediterranean, so to not harshly disturb the environment it takes place. Especially within the selected colour palette for La Muraja Roja, which accentuate the contrast with the landscape, we can see how the walls that go through various shades of red and pink, whilst stairs reflect the bright blue colour of the Spanish sky almost as if walking amongst it.
Yet, La Muralla Roja’s charm and layout is rooted in concepts of regionalism and constructivism that follow a certain set of geometric rules. These geometric rules and patterns, whilst very aesthetically pleasing can also be seen as counterproductive. On some aspects it seems more of an art installation rather than a home. Due to its location and size one can believe that the Muralla Roja would be ideal as a ritirement home. However, while its mysterious stairs and colours might make you feel like you’re wandering through a sunset, they can easily become a confusing storm for anyone who struggles with orientation or memory loss.
A bigger and perhaps more relevant issue to our generation arises when Airbnb, a traveller’s best friend and a neighbour’s enemy, comes into the picture. Due to its ideal location and architectural popularity, landlords of the housing complex have been taking advantage of said benefits and have begun renting out their homes in the complex on Airbnb. Whilst this can be a great way to make extra income, it drives away the purity of the place and turns an architectural piece into a profit earning opportunity by slowly buying out the rest of the complex and eventually turning it into a tourist location, where locals will have to drive away from what was meant to be a shared experience.
La Muralla Roja, even if built in the early 70s, continues to establish its importance and continuous relevance to modern day design, and shows how elegance within simplicity is still what the human eye keeps seeking. Yet its let itself fall into the typical commercial spiral that risks to drag the attention away from its details and transform it into another Instagrammable location.
