Casa Apotheca

The project works within the elongated shell of a former storage warehouse, drawing out moments of compression and release across three compact levels. Each floor is defined by a distinct spatial atmosphere: a basement carved directly out of the rock and paved in travertine, reimagined as a private spa and soaking room; a ground-floor kitchen and dining hall anchored by a monolithic central table that folds domestic ritual into shared gathering; and an upper level hosting two secluded suites, each arranged around warm material thresholds and filtered light.

Working with the building’s inherent proportions, the design introduces crafted insertions – stained birch plywood, red travertine, and ribbed translucent surfaces – to mediate between enclosure and openness.

The suites are conceived as layered sanctuaries, where bathing and sleeping spaces interlock to form intimate spaces oriented toward calm. Throughout, the architecture favours tactile continuity, muted palettes, and a measured choreography of views, lending the guest house a quiet coherence despite its vertical organisation.

Intended to be occupied as a single residence for short stays, the project offers a heightened, slow interiority within Valletta’s dense historic fabric – an independent counterpart to Casa Ellul that remains rooted in the city’s material heritage and Valentino Architects’ ongoing exploration of crafted spatial sequences.