For Javier Barba, context is everything. In his striking structures—a stone-clad house camouflaged on its jagged promontory above the sea; a complex of wine cellars burrowed underground—“the site itself, including its morphology, rocks, views, winds, solar exposure, color and textures, is the inspiration for me.”

The architect tries to incorporate alternative power sources, such as photovoltaic panels and geothermal power, as well as water-saving techniques and nontoxic paints into every project. Starting simply is part of his routine: “I make the first drawings by hand, with my trusty Caran d’Ache pencil and my Caran d’Ache watercolors. Until the idea is well defined, we don’t use computers.” The drama of each design results from the imaginative way Barba reckons with the landscape, not from the size of the structures. “A tiny Greek Orthodox chapel for a private client was a very interesting project for me,” he remarks.

Javier Barba

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