For Casa Akina, Di Frenna Arquitectos organizes the ground-floor program around the living areas, dining room, bedrooms and study, connected by intermediate spaces, while on the upper floor small terraces extend the rooms towards the vegetation and strengthen their relationship with the surroundings.
The material palette combines concrete, stone and screens within a unified colour range, creating a continuous image that changes with the light throughout the day, while wood, present in doors, furniture and textiles, adds warmth and softens the presence of the mineral materials.
Casa Akina by Di Frenna Arquitectos. Photograph by Lorena Darquea.
Project description by Di Frenna Arquitectos
Casa Akina announces itself without fully revealing itself. Its presence is restrained, almost silent. Before unveiling its form, it allows light to filter through, lets vegetation peek in, and hints at the central void that organizes the layout. From the very first encounter, the architecture proposes a measured way of dwelling—one where the journey matters as much as the destination, and time itself becomes perceptible.
The house is built using a consistent material palette. Concrete, stone, and latticework share a unified color scheme that seeks continuity rather than contrast. Throughout the day, light reimagines the surfaces: the gray shifts from warm to pale, eventually taking on a golden hue. The house does not change its form; it changes with time.
This design language manifests in various forms. Stone flooring, board-formed concrete facades, latticework, and built-in elements—such as counters, shelves, and display surfaces—all belong to a single architectural whole. Nothing is merely added; everything belongs. The materials do more than just construct the house; they naturally and quietly support daily life.
The first courtyard unfolds in layers. The living and dining areas open up gradually, while the vegetation emerges as a close, almost tactile presence. Here, the house begins to breathe: interior and exterior acknowledge and anticipate one another, meeting at a shared threshold.
The terrace serves as the connecting point for the entire home. Large glass panels and steel structures open the volumes completely, dissolving the boundary between indoors and outdoors. The space feels almost like an open-plan volume suspended between architecture and landscape. The vegetation is no longer just a backdrop; it is now an integral part of the daily experience. In contrast, the interior holds the home’s more sensitive side. Wood appears as a restrained touch, softening the mineral character of the structure. Integrated into doors, furniture, and textiles, it creates a warm atmosphere that offers protection and balances the concrete shell.
Latticework sets the rhythm of the day. It filters the light, fragmenting it and giving it a cadence. At certain times, the house is written in shadows that traverse walls and floors like a slow choreography.
On the upper level, volumes are recessed, creating small terraces that bring each bedroom and the study closer to the surrounding greenery. The retreat draws near to the living landscape; here, the house ceases to be merely a shelter and becomes part of the scenery.
Casa Akina does not impose itself upon the site. It allows itself to be permeated by light, by the passage of time, and by the surrounding growth. It is not an object, but a sequence of pauses where dwelling becomes a form of contemplation.
