Les Casetes Blanques, Architectural ensemble in Montbau, Spain.
Les Casetes Blanques is a residential complex of 58 single-family homes arranged in six rows along the Collserola mountain slopes. The houses connect via five pedestrian passages and feature a duplex layout where upper floors sit above lower units, creating bridges over landscaped walkways.
The Barcelona Municipal Housing Board commissioned architect Joan Bosch to design this complex, built between 1964 and 1968. The project emerged during Spain's rapid expansion, when cities needed new housing solutions for their growing populations.
The neighborhood shows how people live in close-knit rows on a sloping terrain, with white walls and shared pathways creating a sense of community. The way residents use their private spaces alongside common walkways reveals a lifestyle balanced between family homes and collective living.
The site is best explored on foot, as homes are spread across multiple pedestrian passages connected by staircases at different elevations. Wear appropriate footwear, as the terrain involves considerable walking on sloped ground.
Each home was built so the upper unit's terrace sits directly over the lower unit and serves as its roof. This stacked arrangement saves space on the mountainside while creating a sheltered garden area for the home below.
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