Nestled within the rugged Mediterranean landscape of Matarraña, Teruel, Casa Solo Office KGDVS (2017) stands as a radical experiment in residential design, conceived by the Belgian architectural practice OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen (KGDVS). Commissioned as part of the ambitious Solo Houses project—an initiative by Parisian gallerists Christian Bourdais and Eva Albarrán to create a collection of avant-garde vacation homes—this 550-square-meter circular residence redefines the relationship between architecture, nature, and human habitation. Eight years after its completion, the house remains a provocative example of how minimal intervention can yield profound spatial and experiential outcomes, earning accolades for its innovative design while raising questions about the practicalities of such conceptual architecture.
The Solo Houses project, often described as Europe’s first collection of holiday rental architecture, spans 100 hectares in Matarraña, a region dubbed the “Tuscany of Spain” for its rolling hills, olive groves, and medieval villages. Bourdais and Albarrán envisioned a series of 15 experimental residences by leading architects—like Sou Fujimoto, Tatiana Bilbao, and Pezo von Ellrichshausen—each designed with complete creative freedom to redefine the concept of a second home. Casa Solo Office KGDVS, the second house completed in the series after Pezo von Ellrichshausen’s Solo Pezo (2013), was inaugurated on April 24, 2017. Positioned on a natural plateau near Cretas, the house leverages its elevated site to offer a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding forest, a design choice that underscores KGDVS’s intent to prioritize landscape over structure.
The house’s defining feature is its circular geometry—a 45-meter-diameter concrete platform that hovers like a “flying saucer” over the virgin terrain, as described by Arquitectura Viva. This minimalist form, constructed by Construccions Ferras Prat, SL, comprises a flat concrete roof supported by four rows of nine slender columns, which slice chords through the circular base. The total built area spans 1,600 square meters, but only 450 square meters are enclosed, housing three independent 60-square-meter modules: a living room with a fireplace, a master suite, and a guest suite with two bedrooms sharing a central bathroom. The remaining 1,050 square meters form an open-air patio garden, featuring a natural pool carved into the landscape and designed by landscape architect Bas Smets to blend seamlessly with the Mediterranean woodland.
Technically, the design prioritizes openness and adaptability. The house’s permeable façade, composed of sliding polycarbonate and galvanized steel panels, allows each module to fully open to the outdoors, dissolving boundaries between interior and exterior. This system, detailed in Revista AD, enables inhabitants to sleep under the stars or expose rooms to the forest, a feature that aligns with KGDVS’s concept of “invisible architecture.” The roof, equipped with photovoltaic panels, water tanks, and generators—all exposed as sculptural elements—ensures energy self-sufficiency, a necessity given the site’s lack of municipal services. Water is harvested on-site and purified post-use, while the concrete foundation, described as a “circular catwalk” by METALOCUS, provides a stable base on the uneven terrain, with levels adjusted to follow the natural topography.
The design’s conceptual underpinnings are rooted in KGDVS’s broader practice, which often challenges architectural conventions. Founded in 2002 by Kersten Geers and David Van Severen, the studio is known for its rigorous, almost austere approach, blending formal precision with a playful rethinking of spatial norms. Here, they question the very definition of a house, creating a structure that is “at once discrete and imposing, ceremonial and sparse, open and introverted, transparent and opaque, luxurious and austere,” as METALOCUS notes. The circular form itself emerged from a serendipitous encounter: during their site visit, the architects navigated around a beehive, inspiring the house’s geometry—a poetic anecdote shared by The Sibarist. This circular layout not only maximizes the panoptic views but also creates a central courtyard that acts as a sheltered microcosm, reinforcing the house’s connection to its environment.
The interior reflects a minimalist ethos, with furnishings that complement the architectural intent. Custom pieces by KGDVS, alongside works like Muller Van Severen’s Wire S#2 loungers, Richard Venlet’s Solo stool-lamps, and classics like Thonet’s 209 chair, create a sparse yet deliberate aesthetic. The master suite features an Agape bathtub strategically placed to frame the landscape, while the outdoor kitchen, clad in perforated metal and marble, and a mirrored steel bathroom near the pool enhance the house’s integration with nature. Every element, from the 100% cotton linens to the yoga mats and bicycles provided for guests, aligns with the project’s ethos of disconnection and harmony, as highlighted by The Sibarist.
Casa Solo Office KGDVS has been widely celebrated, earning a nomination for the 2019 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (Mies van der Rohe Award) and a spot in the BBC documentary The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes: Coast (2018), where architects Piers Taylor and Caroline Quentin praised its unconventional design. Yet, its radical approach raises practical concerns. The extensive use of polycarbonate, while lightweight and cost-effective, may pose durability issues in the harsh Mediterranean climate, with potential for UV degradation over time. The open-air design, while idyllic in summer, could be less functional during Teruel’s colder months, where temperatures can drop significantly. Additionally, the house’s isolation—two hours south of Barcelona and far from urban amenities—while a draw for nature lovers, limits its accessibility for less adventurous guests.
From a broader perspective, the Solo Houses project, including Casa Solo Office KGDVS, prompts reflection on the role of experimental architecture in addressing contemporary needs. While the project’s ambition to create “21st-century experiences” is commendable, its focus on luxury vacation homes—available for rent via platforms like The Sibarist—caters to a niche audience, raising questions about inclusivity in such visionary endeavors. Moreover, the project’s timeline has lagged; initial plans to complete all 15 houses and a 35-room hotel by 2024, as noted by The Sibarist, have not been met, with only two houses finished by 2025, suggesting financial or logistical challenges.
Despite these critiques, Casa Solo Office KGDVS remains a landmark of contemporary architecture, a testament to KGDVS’s ability to distill complex ideas into a singular, impactful form. Its circular design, blurring the lines between inside and out, offers a new model for living in harmony with nature—one that prioritizes experience over convention. As I reflect on this project in 2025, it continues to inspire, reminding us that architecture, at its best, can be both a shelter and a statement, a space where the boundaries of habitation are reimagined against the backdrop of the wild.