Casa VA
Casa VA is a minimalist apartment located in Madrid, Spain, designed by DIIR. The project confronts a familiar urban challenge – transforming 60 square meters of awkwardly shaped space into a dwelling that feels neither cramped nor fragmented. Rather than masking the geometry through conventional partitioning, DIIR treats the constraint as an opportunity to reimagine how a small home can function, using the apartment’s six large openings across three facades as the foundation for a more fluid domestic landscape.
The solution centers on a topographic approach that generates zones through level changes rather than walls. Granite plinths rise from the floor at strategic points, creating elevated platforms that serve as anchors for daily life – sleeping, cooking, storage, seating. This sectional strategy recalls the platform experiments of Japanese metabolist housing and the stepped interiors of 1970s loft conversions, but here the levels are more subtle, defining territory without isolation. Each plinth waits to receive its corresponding furniture piece, establishing what DIIR describes as an infrastructure model where architecture provides the framework and objects complete the system.
The material palette reinforces this sense of the apartment as a prepared ground. Warm wood floors establish a continuous base plane, while metallic surfaces on walls and ceilings reflect the abundant natural light flooding through those multiple openings. The granite plinths introduce weight and permanence, their cool stone contrasting with the surrounding warmth. This restrained backdrop – neutral but not minimal in the reductive sense – creates a deliberate tension that activates when inhabited.
What distinguishes Casa VA from typical open-plan conversions is how color and form enter the space. DIIR positions furniture, lighting, and art as the final layer that gives the apartment its identity, understanding these elements not as decoration but as variable components in a flexible system. A vibrant chair or lamp becomes a focal point against the muted envelope, while art pieces shift over time, allowing the space to evolve without requiring architectural intervention. This approach acknowledges that small homes need adaptability – the ability to transform based on changing needs and moods.