Tres Patis House | TwoBo arquitectura

Tres Patis House, In the plains of Empordà, a few kilometers from the Greco-Roman ruins of Empúries, stands Casa Tres Patis, a single-family home of 300 m² that interprets the classic archetypes of the Mediterranean villa in a contemporary language. Designed by Twobo architecture, the project is based on a central idea: to create a livable space where architecture interacts with light, wind, water, and the body.

“We didn’t want it to be a house in the landscape; we wanted the entire house to be the landscape,” affirm María Pancorbo, Alberto Twose, and Pablo Twose from Twobo architecture.

A couple consisting of an art historian and a cinematographer who worked in California entrusted the architects with the development of the project. To define the design approach, they shared several key references with the studio: on one hand, the California Case Study Houses, with their experimental vision of modern housing; on the other hand, the Greek and Roman ruins of Empúries, where architecture presents itself as a vestige and void in relation to the place.

Twobo conceived Casa Tres Patis as a set of independent pavilions arranged around three courtyards, transformed into pillars of domestic life. Each courtyard is a lived space, a place for gathering and contemplation, an active element of the architecture. The first, open and shaded by a tree, evokes social life in a large square, with a stone table, a barbecue, a climbing wisteria, and an area for playing petanque. The second reinterprets the Roman impluvium as a place of contemplation and respite. The third, intimate and serene, houses an aromatic garden reminiscent of monastic gardens.

The pavilions, for their part, are conceived as lightweight, almost mobile structures, and each responds to a specific aspect of life: one main structure with a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom; another with children’s rooms and laundry; and a third that serves as a guest house and workshop. All were built with materials in harmony with the climate and surroundings: ceramic screens, wooden panels, metal structures, and large glass enclosures.

Local handcrafted materials are integrated into various corners of the home, adding a new layer of tradition. In this case, the screens and blue tiles made by Cerámica Ferrés stand out, whose workshop is located just a few kilometers from the site.

Taking Richard Neutra as a reference, a key figure of the Modern Movement in California and architect of the Case Study House #20, the volumes feature repetitive metal structures and large windows protected by natural shades or triangular screens that mitigate the intense summer sun.

The house seeks to blur the boundaries between interior and exterior through continuous pathways, concrete trails, large windows, and showers that open to the courtyards. A rustic stucco wall embraces the terrain, protecting the home from the tramontane wind while framing fragments of the rural landscape for those who inhabit its interior.

In terms of comfort, Casa Tres Patis incorporates passive and active energy efficiency solutions: natural cross ventilation, optimal solar orientation, insulating walls, gray water recycling systems, and solar panels. All of this reinforces the studio’s commitment to sustainable architecture, without sacrificing expressiveness or beauty.

Casa Tres Patis does not aim to impose a way of living, but simply to suggest one, encouraging slow rhythms, connection with nature, and a life centered around the courtyard. Twobo offers a poetic reinterpretation of Mediterranean tradition, where well-being arises from the harmonious relationship between architecture, landscape, and body. A house to inhabit with all the senses.

Project Info
Architects: TwoBo arquitectura
Country: Spain
Area: 300 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Jose Hevia