The installation ‘House Like a Garden’, conceived as part of a project by Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra and developed in collaboration with Professor Edoardo Narne and the University of Padua, has been inaugurated at the historic Ca’ Lando complex in Padua (Italy).

The project arose from an invitation extended to the Seville-based architect to reflect on Mediterranean housing through a small-scale experimental house. In response, Vázquez Consuegra drew up various proposals for a dwelling of approximately 37 m² organised around courtyards, from which a version centred on three open spaces was ultimately selected: the entrance courtyard, the courtyard-garden and the lemon tree courtyard. The project was subsequently developed and constructed in timber by students of the Building Engineering and Architecture course at the University of Padua.

The structure explores some recurring themes in the work of Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra: the sequence of intermediate spaces, the importance of the courtyard as a structuring element of Mediterranean housing, the relationship between interior and exterior, and the ability of architecture to incorporate nature into the domestic space. Access is via a courtyard partially covered by a pergola, conceived as a transitory space between the city and the house, a mediating environment that gives the whole complex its identity.

The installation forms part of an exhibition dedicated to the residential architecture of Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra, which brings together a selection of single-family residences and apartment building projects, alongside a wide range of the architect’s drawings and travel sketchbooks. The exhibition can be visited at Ca’ Lando until 15 July.

Located in the heart of Padua, the historic Ca’ Lando complex currently hosts cultural, academic and research activities linked to the University of Padua, serving as a meeting point for heritage, contemporary architecture and educational experimentation.