La Muralla Roja - Spanish for 'The Red Wall - is a housing project located within the La Manzanera development in Spain's Calpe. Completed in 1973 by Ricardo Bofill the building makes clear references to the popular architecture of the Arab Mediterranean Area, a result of the architects' inspiration by the Mediterranean tradition of the casbah. Formed like a fortress, the project appears as if it is emerging from the rocky cliffs it sits on. The outside surfaces are painted in various tones of red, to accentuate the contrast with the landscape; patios and stairs, however, area treated with blue tones, such as sky-blue, indigo, violet, to produce a stronger or weaker contrast with the sky or, on the contrary, an optical effect of blending in with it. The intensity of the colours is also related to the light and shows how the combination of these elements can help create a greater illusion of space. Photographer Andrés Gallardo visited La Muralla Roja to document its striking color palette and its strong geometric sensibility. “No matter how many photos you've seen of that place, or how many times you've been there, it always surprises you” he says and calls it "paradise of photographers". Photography © Andrés Gallardo Links: RBTA ArchDaily designboom