Casa JAR: An Introspective Courtyard House in Jarafuel by Crux Arquitectura and Estudio Nada

Completed in 2025, Casa JAR is a residential project in Jarafuel, Valencia, Spain, designed by the architectural firms Crux Arquitectura and Estudio Nada. The 205-square-meter house is defined by its inward-facing design, organized around a large central courtyard that functions as a social and climatic core. The architects—Raquel Sola Rubio, Alejandro Gª Pedrón, and Carla Lucía Ruótolo of Crux Arquitectura, alongside Borja Hernández and Arcadi Martín of Estudio Nada—created a sequence of nearly cubic rooms along the perimeter of the trapezoidal plot. This layout forms a continuous promenade, eliminating conventional corridors. The central patio, featuring a water element, a barbecue area, and a Celtis australis tree, serves as a green lung and social agora. The house presents a reserved facade to the street, a contrast noted by a curious neighbor, but opens richly inward. Its material palette includes wood beams, lime, plaster, and ceramic bardo, referencing Mediterranean vernacular construction. The design prioritizes cross-ventilation and thermal mass for climate control. Photographer Milena Villalba documented the project.