Finca Roja at 90: Inside Valencia's Red-Brick Housing Block and Its Creative Community
Valencia's Finca Roja, completed in 1934 and designed by architect Enrique Viedma Vidal, spans over 15,000 square meters and accommodates 2,000 residents within 378 apartments divided into 14 communities. Construction commenced in 1929 to provide housing for factory workers. Viedma Vidal incorporated neo-Mudéjar decoration and a paved courtyard into his design. The complex features eight turrets that hide water tanks and originally included a medical clinic, bar, and bakery. Notable residents are Borja Marco Moreno, Daniela Barena Martinez, and the artistic duo PichiAvo. Governance is managed by elected presidents and a rotating commissioner. Renamed Finca España during the Spanish Civil War, it celebrated its first falla in 1952. A retrospective was co-curated by Isabel Blasco and Laura Yerpes in 2022 for Valencia Design Week.
Key facts
- Finca Roja was designed by Enrique Viedma Vidal and completed in 1934, with construction starting in 1929
- The complex covers more than 15,000 sq m and contains 378 apartments housing about 2,000 residents
- It is divided into 14 communities, each with its own lobby and staircase
- The project originated in a public tender from a social-welfare fund to house nearby factory workers
- Its style blends neo-Mudéjar ornament with rationalism inspired by Dutch architect Michel de Klerk
- The building was renamed Finca España during and after the Spanish Civil War
- A 1969 plan for a retail block and underground car park in the patio was never realised
- Isabel Blasco and Laura Yerpes co-curated a 2022 retrospective in Yerpes's ground-floor studio during Valencia Design Week
Entities
Artists
- Enrique Viedma Vidal
- Borja Marco Moreno
- Daniela Barena Martinez
- Francesc Rifé
- Eva Clérigues
- Pep Ruiz
- João da Silva
- Ana Botella Espacio
- Philipp Köpfli
- Juan Antonio Sánchez Santos
- Álvaro Hernández Santaeulalia
- PichiAvo
- Isabel Blasco
- Laura Yerpes
- Michel de Klerk
- Ildefons Cerdà
- Francisco Franco
- Nacho Sancho
Institutions
- Finca Roja
- La Colmena
- Ojjo
- Valencia Design Week
- Monocle
Locations
- Valencia
- Spain
- Zürich
- Switzerland
- Amsterdam
- Barcelona
- Benimaclet
Sources
- Monocle —