Articles by Pilar Caballero

Set within a 40-cent north-facing plot in Edamuttom, Thrissur, Louvered House stands as an exploration of how contemporary living can harmoniously coexist with the sensitivities of Kerala’s tropical climate and cultural memory. Once a flourishing nutmeg plantation, the site still retains its original trees and lush greenery, weaving ecological continuity into the architectural design. To the east, the client’s ancestral tharavad remains, adding another layer of heritage and familial rootedness to the project. This delicate balance of the old and the new forms the philosophical core of the residence.

The Way of Stealth: A Renewal Strategy Respecting Coexistence
Since 2022, this landscape in Hangzhou Tonglu has undergone its largest transformation. After careful investigation, SpActrum concluded that while the original site strategy had failed in form and material, the trees that grew alongside the buildings over twenty years stood out as an effective natural strategy. The first task was to persuade the client to abandon a “radically refreshed” look, instead rebuilding cabins and walkways with contemporary techniques – a return to a “non-referential” state.

A reversible stainless-steel intervention within Yerevan’s oldest preserved interior from the 1930s. Lumen Coffee 1936 revives a former bookstore, revealing the “Oriental Art Nouveau” wooden setting and creating a refined dialogue between heritage and contemporary design.