Spain’s obsession with black and white: all new buildings are becoming the same building

It doesn’t matter if you live in Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Grenade, Malaga either Vigoto name just a handful of cities. If you take a walk through most of the municipalities in Spain, it is more than likely that you will come across the same scene: black and white residential buildings. Chromatic sobriety taken to the extreme seems to rule among the blocks of flats. new construction. Even in renovations where the facades are covered. It might seem like a simple question of fashion, but – without ruling out that factor – the reality is much more more complex and rich in nuances.

So… Why so many black and white buildings?

The trend has already been some time brewing, but it has spread to such an extent and with such force that today it can be found in (almost) all cities. Populous cities the size of Madrid either Valencia. And others with less population, such as A Coruña, Caceres either GrenadeIf you look at the new construction promotions it seems that almost all of them have come from the same architectural studio. Black and white rules. Just like facing brick did in its day.

You don’t have to leave home and travel around the country’s cities to check it out. Just take a look at the catalogue of developers like Aedas Homes, Neinor Homes, Via Celere, Metrovacesa either Habitat Real EstateThere are exceptions, of course, but if we had to identify a trend in their portfolios and infographics, it would be precisely that one: the recurrent use of whites, blacks and shades of grey.

A matter of fashion, tastes… and much more

A matter of taste and fashion? That’s an explanation. In 2023 the newspaper Herald he wondered why in the neighbourhoods of Zaragoza with a significant number of new buildings the same pattern seemed to be repeated over and over again: facades that combine white, black and dark grey. To clear up the mystery, he consulted Grupo Lobe, behind one of the new buildings in the Aragonese capital that had opted for this combination: black, white and, in this case, anthracite grey. And although the firm pointed to several factors, one of them is pure aesthetics.

“There is another issue that we take into account, which is people’s taste. We are clear that people like black and white, or very dark grey,” Alvaro Van Horenbeke recountedarchitect of the firm. “For other more unique projects, other tones are used, but in general this combination is easier to keep in fashion, it is timeless.” Other voices in the sector speak of the desire of “generate dualities”a commitment to white linked to modern movement or the simple taste for black and dark greys, such as anthracite or RAL 7016.

The fact that black and white has become so popular is not, however, simply a question of fashion or the search for an aesthetic that is as “timeless” as possible. Black and white are not just any colour options, as Van Horenbeke himself recognised. Aesthetic values ​​aside, both are key in a strictly practical aspect: their behaviour when exposed to light. reflect either absorb sunlight, which in turn influences the temperature.

The use of white can be so strategic There are university researchers dedicated to finding the “purest” variety possible – the whitest white – to improve its reflective capacity and use it in paints capable of cooling surfaces that they impregnate below ambient values. What’s more, going even further, there are scientists who have theorized on the advantages for the planet of covering 2% of the Earth’s surface with “ultra-white”.

Architect Pedro Torrijos points out another key to understanding the enormous popularity of black and white, which even extends to renovations: the search for more effective thermal insulation. The popularizer also recalls the great popularity of black and white. SATEExterior Thermal Insulation Systems that basically consist in the installation of thermal insulation on the exterior walls of a building to improve thermal performance. By way of finishing plaster or slab coatings with ceramic or stone can be used.

It does not require the use of black and white, but that is a bet that has gained popularity compared to other more risky ones. “The developers are conservative.”

There’s an old adage that says ‘If something works… why change it?’. That’s another one of the possible explanationsEven simpler: if black and white buildings work in the market, why risk doing something that will generate rejection?

From the collective Madrid Projects They recall that in the sector there are large companies that rely on formulas and studies that are already familiar to them. “There are few developers that do a lot of work. They do it in a bit of a series,” they say ironically. Chromatic sobriety is also associated with minimalism, although Madrid Proyecta recognises that repeating a formula on a recurring basis, as happened in its day with bricks, carries a risk: “saturation”.

“If you want to create a new image, you can do it with brick and shapes, but the normal thing is to go for a more technological material. On the other hand, in Spain everything that has colour sounds like social housing,” They pointed out It’s been three years since Hispalyt was signed to the opinion of A Coruña“In the end, 99% of developers are looking for something quiet, something they are sure will sell well. They only ask us for colour and to give it some life when we build student residences.”

To better understand the phenomenon, Madrid Proyecta introduces another even more striking concept: the “cream tart buildings”The expression helps to understand the success that black and white works have achieved. The idea is to build simple buildings to which a layer is then added to “generate a certain sensation of volume”, just as occurs in baking with cream. “To give it a more chic touch, these slats are used,” say the group before pointing out their advantages, for example, to “disguise” small windows or other details.

“It’s a nice finish,” they add. The idea is linked to another concept: that of “marketing architecture.” “It’s about neutral colors. With other colors you couldn’t create that feeling of depth. With black, the gaps are well concealed.” In the case of renovations and refurbishments of old buildings, sheet metal is also used, which does not always respect the original design.

There would be two other explanations of a much more practical nature: costs and a simple one question of efficiency. Not long ago The confidential I consulted to the architect Juan Coll-Barreu about the curious similarity between new construction works, in which white paint and dark lines are repeated, often without large terraces… His response provides another approach that completes the picture.

“These construction elements are the ones that are most repeated because they are cheaper. It’s because of the laziness of the system. They bring you a single piece and material and in the end everyone ends up doing the same thing. You just have to go to SIMA every year,” reflected Coll-Barreau: “Someone will tell you what people want, but it’s not true. It’s like when you buy shoes. You choose from what they show you.”

There are no constructions without materials. And they also play a fundamental role in the trend, as remember Julio Touza, who suggests that its improvement and the development of more sophisticated resources has allowed architects to use more white on facades, with the advantages that this offers. “When you have that mass in a residential building, you need to lighten it with some contrast, such as bands of dark colour.” New materials have partly taken the place of bricks, which also face an additional challenge that also affects the sector: the lack of qualified labour.

“There are many people. But people who are capable of putting things in the right place do not exist as such,” recognized a builder to The opinion“It is one of the most worrying issues. The previous crisis drove out a mass of young people. And now the historical figures in the sector have retired. There is a problem which makes us look for materials that depend less on manual work and more on workshop manufacturing.”

Images | Calderon Riverbank, Avantespacia, Aedas Homes and Neinor Homes

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