Casavera: An Accessible Mediterranean Home Rooted in El Cabanyal

Located in the historic fishermen’s neighborhood of El Cabanyal in Valencia, Casavera is a sensitive residential renovation that transforms a former sports shop into a bright, barrier-free Mediterranean home. Designed by gon architects, the 135-square-meter dwelling rethinks domestic space through accessibility, environmental performance, and deep social awareness.

From Commercial Space to Inclusive Home

The project occupies a narrow plot between party walls, measuring 25 meters long and 6 meters wide. Originally a dark and humid ground-floor commercial space, the building has been carefully rehabilitated and extended to accommodate a multigenerational household with diverse rhythms of life. The change of use was guided by strict accessibility regulations, responding to the daily needs of Elies, one of the homeowners and a wheelchair user since the age of 18.

Rather than treating accessibility as a constraint, the architects integrated it as a generative design principle. The result is a fluid, generous, and obstacle-free domestic environment where spatial comfort, autonomy, and dignity define everyday living.

A House for Shared Life and Individual Rhythms

Casavera is home to Elies; Aurora, a dancer and multimedia designer; their daughter Vera; and their four cats. This diverse domestic ecosystem shaped the architectural approach: the house is conceived as a space of coordination, mutual care, and coexistence, accommodating different temporalities, speeds, and forms of occupation.

Echoing the social fabric of El Cabanyal, where the street functions as an extension of the home, the project reinforces continuity between private and public life. The neighborhood’s slow-paced rhythm, colorful facades, and material resilience to sea air inform both the spatial organization and the material palette.

Old and New Connected by Light and Air

The architectural intervention is divided into two distinct volumes. The restored front section, built with traditional Valencian vaults, hosts the shared and public functions: entrance, multipurpose room, bathroom, living area, and kitchen-dining space. At the rear of the plot, a newly constructed pavilion with a metal structure and brick enclosure contains the most private areas, including bedrooms illuminated by inclined skylight-windows and compact service spaces.

Between these two volumes lies the heart of the house: a 26-square-meter patio. More than an outdoor room, this intermediate space acts as a climatic regulator, enabling cross-ventilation and thermal comfort throughout the year. Flooded with Mediterranean light reminiscent of Sorolla’s paintings, the patio visually and environmentally binds the old and new architectures into a single living organism.

Water, Care, and the Mediterranean Way of Living

The most distinctive feature of the patio is a linear swimming pool measuring 5.80 by 1.70 meters. Designed with both indoor and outdoor sections, the pool plays a dual role: a recreational element and a therapeutic device. For Elies, it is an essential space for physical maintenance and health care, seamlessly integrated into daily domestic life rather than isolated as a technical facility.

Materials such as clay, wood, and ceramic, sourced locally and associated with Mediterranean construction traditions, reinforce the project’s tactile warmth and contextual continuity. These elements, combined with precise spatial proportions and natural light, create an atmosphere that is both intimate and expansive.

Architecture as Empowerment

Casavera demonstrates that inclusive and accessible design can be spatially rich, emotionally resonant, and architecturally ambitious. Its unconventional dimensions and layouts challenge standardized housing models, proving that adaptability and beauty are not mutually exclusive.

Ultimately, the house is conceived as a refuge of free movement and personal autonomy: a place where everyday scenes unfold naturally: swimming, working, resting, playing, and caring. Rooted in its neighborhood and attuned to its inhabitants, Casavera stands as a compelling example of contemporary Mediterranean residential architecture shaped by empathy, sustainability, and lived experience.

All photographs are works of  Imagen Subliminal (Miguel de Guzmán + Rocío Romero)