It doesn’t matter if you live in Barcelona, ​​​​Madrid, Bilbao, Granada, Malaga or Vigo, just to name a few cities. If you visit most municipalities in Spain, you will most likely find the same image: black and white residential buildings. Chromatic soberness taken to extremes seems to prevail among new construction blocks. Even in renovations where the facades are covered. It may seem like a simple fashion issue, but – without ignoring this factor – the truth is much bigger. more complicated and rich in nuances.

So… Why are so many buildings black and white?

This trend has been around for a while, but it has become so widespread that today it can be found in (almost) every city. Populous cities the size of Madrid or Valencia. And others with smaller populations, like A Coruña, Cáceres or Granada. When looking at the new construction introductions, it seems that almost all of them come from the same architecture studio. Send black and white.Just like the brick did in time.

You don’t have to leave your home and visit the cities of the country to see this. It comes with browsing the catalog of developers such as Aedas Homes, Neinor Homes, Vía Célere, Metrovacesa or Habitat Inmobiliaria. Of course, there are exceptions; but if we have to identify a trend in their portfolios and infographics, it is precisely this: the repeated use of whites, blacks and shades of gray.

A matter of fashion, tastes and much more

Is it a matter of taste and fashion? It’s a statement. Newspaper in 2023 reporter He wondered why the same image kept repeating itself over and over again in Zaragoza’s neighborhoods, where there are a significant number of new buildings: facades combining white, black, and dark gray. To clarify the mystery, he consulted Grupo Lobe, which is behind one of the new buildings in the Aragonese capital that chose this combination: black, white, and in its case, anthracite gray. The firm points to several factors, but one of them is pure aesthetics.

“There is another aspect that we take into account, and that is people’s taste. We are clear that black and white or very dark grey is attractive,” said the firm’s architect Álvaro Van Horenbeke. “Other tones are used for other, more unique projects, but in general this combination is easier to keep in style, it is timeless.” Other voices in the sector also speak to this desire “create dualities”attachment to whiteness associated with the modern movement or the simple taste of black and dark greys such as anthracite or RAL 7016.

But the strong spread of the devotion to black and white does not respond to a simple fashion problem or to the search for an aesthetic that is as “timeless” as possible. As Van Horenbeke also realizes, black and white are not just any color choices. Aesthetic values ​​aside, both are absolutely key from a practical perspective: their ability to reflect or absorb sunlight, which in turn affects the temperature.

White can be used very strategic There are university researchers dedicated to seeking the “purest” variety possible (the whitest white) in order to improve its reflective capacity and use it in paints that can cool the surfaces they impregnate to below environmental values. Furthermore, there are scientists theorizing about the advantages of covering 2% of the planet Earth’s surface with “ultra white.”

Architect Pedro Torrijos points out another key to understanding the enormous popularity of black and white, which extends to renovations: the search for more effective thermal insulation. The distributor also recalls the great popularity of SATE, External Thermal Insulation Systems, which basically consist of applying thermal insulation to the external walls of a building to improve its thermal performance. As a finishing coat, ceramic or stone plaster or slab coatings can be used.

There is no requirement to use black and white, but this is a bet that has gained popularity compared to other riskier bets. “Those who support it are conservative.”

There is an old adage that says, ‘If something works…why change it?’ This is another Possible explanationsor even simpler: if black and white buildings work in the market, why risk doing something that might cause rejection?

From the Madrid Proyecta collective, they recall that there are big companies in the sector that invest in formulas and studies that they already know. Ironically, they say, “There are a few organizers who do a lot of work. They do it a bit serially.” Chromatic sobriety is also associated with minimalism; however, Madrid Proyecta is aware that repeating a formula over and over again, as was the case with bricks in its time, carries a risk: “saturation”.

“If you want to create a new image you can do it with bricks and shapes, but the normal thing is to use a more technological material. On the other hand, in Spain everything that is colored feels like social housing,” the firm stated Hispalyt three years ago. A Coruña’s La View“After all, 99% of the promotions are looking for something calm, so they are sure it will sell well. When they do student dormitories, they just want us to add color and a bit of life.”

To better understand this phenomenon, Madrid Proyecta offers an even more striking concept: “cream pie buildings”. This statement helps to understand the success of the black and white works. The idea is to build simple buildings, to which a layer is added to “create a certain sense of volume”, just like in cream pastries. “These slats were added to give a more elegant touch”, the group comments, pointing out their advantages; for example, “hiding” small windows or other details.

“A beautiful finish,” they say. The idea is linked to another concept: “marketing architecture.” “These are neutral colors. You can’t create this feeling of depth in others. In black, the gaps are well hidden.” In the case of renovation and rehabilitation of old buildings, boards are also used that do not always fit the original design.

There may be two more practical explanations: costs and simple productivity problem.not so long ago Hidden I consulted the architect Juan Coll-Barreu about the interesting similarity between new construction works, where white paint and dark lines are often repeated without large terraces… His answer provides another approach that completes the picture.

“These structural elements are the most repeated elements because they are cheap. It’s because the system is lazy. They bring you one piece and one material, and in the end everyone does the same thing. Coll thought, ‘I want to go to SIMA every year.’ -Barreau: “Someone will tell you what people want, but it’s like buying shoes and choosing from what they show you.”

There is no construction without materials. As Julio Touza recalls, these also play a fundamental role in the trend; Touza notes that their improvement and the development of more complex resources have allowed architects to use more white on facades, highlighting the advantages it offers. “When you have this mass in a residential building, you need to lighten it with some contrast, like dark bands.” New materials have partially replaced bricks; bricks also face an additional challenge that conditions the sector: the lack of skilled labor.

“There are many people. But people with the skills to put things in place well are actually not available,” one builder said. Opinion: “This is one of the most worrying issues. The previous crisis had pushed out many young people. Now, the historical figures of the sector have retired. There is a problem This pushes us to look for materials that are less based on craftsmanship and more based on workshop manufacturing.

Images | Ribera del Calderon, Avantespacia, Aedas Houses and Neinor Houses

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