The island of Mallorca has seen its fair share of what we call invasive luxury architecture but there are also many beautiful exceptions that reference local materials and techniques and incorporate them into a modernist, minimalist whole.

Casa Fly is a perfect example of this, designed in 2017 and completed in 2020 by Bratislava, Slovakia-based Beef Architekti. It is a large (402 square metres, 4,628 sq.ft) two-level private residence that takes full advantage of the locally quarried stone and the famous ?Pedra en sec? or drystone technique.

Drystone walls are visible throughout Mallorca and they are such an important characteristic, especially in the villages in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, that the technique was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in November 2018.
The stonework façade is a key characteristic of Casa Fly where the stone?s hue creates a feeling of warmth and timelessness. The stone evokes a sense of classic beauty and understated glamour within the modernist clarity of the new house. The massive stone façade also functions as a cooling device in the hot months and a heat-retaining element in the colder winter weather.

Heat is also regulated by way of recessed windows where the protruding concrete slabs provide shade. Folding wooden shutters are another traditional local heat prevention device. In Casa Fly the folding shutters take on a visual function as well as they soften and break up the façade and create an elega...