Viruta Lab transforms Altea duplex into a Mediterranean refuge filtering the landscape

Spanish architecture studio Viruta Lab, led by María Daroz and David Puerta, has completed the renovation of a duplex apartment in Altea, Spain, on the Mascarat cliff of the Costa Blanca. The project reinterprets the local topography through material selection, visual filtering systems, and an open layout that enhances the relationship with the sea. Key features include custom sliding wooden slat doors that regulate privacy and views, a main floor organized as a continuous open platform integrating entrance, kitchen, dining, and living areas, and a material palette of sand, ochre, and honey tones evoking limestone rock. Ceramic mosaics, dark ceramic baseboards, wood, and light textiles create a serene atmosphere. The duplex distinguishes social areas from private bedrooms, with the master bedroom offering wide sea views and the upper floor housing a small study and elevated terrace. The design aims to translate the experience of rock, light, and mist into a habitable atmosphere, acting as a filter between inhabitant and environment.