Many of us dream about staying in houses designed by great architects. This dream can come true, as many hotels and houses are currently available for rent. From Frank Lloyd Wright to Ricardo Bofill, you can rent many iconic architects’ houses. Here are 10 structures by well-known architects that you can stay in.
La Muralla Roja
Architects: Ricardo Bofill
Location: Calpe, Spain
La Muralla Roja, designed by Ricardo Bofill, is in Calpe, Spain. It is a tourist attraction on the east coast of Spain. These apartments can also be rented nightly. They were initially designed for Palomar S.A. and constructed in the 1970s. The structure was inspired by Kasbah and influenced by Arab Mediterranean architectural styles. The structure also has many amenities, such as a pool, solarium, sauna, and a restaurant.
Edifício Copan
Architects: Oscar Niemeyer
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
The building is in the city center and was designed by Oscar Niemeyer in the 1960s. Niemeyer personally designed the building’s famous sinuous facade. Currently, the building has 1,160 apartments, ranging from small studios to large three-bedroom units, and 2,038 residents, served by 20 elevators and 221 underground parking spaces. If you are lucky enough, you can book a studio apartment in this masterpiece via Airbnb.
Balter House
Architects: Frank Lloyd Wright
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Polymath Park is a unique architectural and cultural destination located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, near the iconic Fallingwater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The park is renowned for its collection of Usonian-style houses. Today, Polymath Park serves as an educational center and retreat, providing overnight lodging, guided tours, and dining experiences. Visitors can learn about the Usonian architectural style and the significance of both Frank Lloyd Wright and Peter Berndtson.
Marqués de Riscal Hotel
Architects: Frank Gehry
Location: Elciego, Spain
Gehry’s futuristic design for this luxury hotel in a vineyard blends avant-garde architecture with world-class hospitality. The hotel structure is typical of Gehry and slightly similar to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Construction started in May 2003 and opened in July 2006. The hotel has a built area of approximately 2,000 sqm and 43 exclusively furnished suites. The dominant feature is a bold, geometrically complex roof structure with an almost free-floating titanium skin.
The Glass House
Architects: Philip Johnson
Location: New Canaan, Connecticut, USA
Designed by American architect Philip Johnson, it was built in the 1940s in New Canaan, Connecticut. Currently, it offers overnight stays through special programs. This minimalist glass structure lets you live in modern architectural history. The house is an example of the early use of industrial materials in home design. It builds on ideas of German architects from the 1920s (“Glasarchitektur”).
Ex of In-House
Architect: Steven Holl
Location: Rhinebeck, New York
Ex of In House is an ecological experiment in residential construction designed by Steven Holl and completed in 2016. It is a result of the Explorations of ‘IN’ project that Steven Holl Architects has been researching and developing since 2014. The house is situated in a wooded and rocky area spanning approximately 11 hectares in the Hudson Valley. It is completely solar-powered and is more of a livable sculpture than a traditional house, featuring huge circular windows and 3D-printed light fixtures.
Eppstein House
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
Location: Galesburg, Michigan
The Eppstein House, designed by Wright in 1948 and situated in “The Acres”, Galesburg, Michigan, is currently on the market. This mid-century residence has been fully renovated and is also open for overnight accommodation. A previous owner renovated the kitchen, which features a high ceiling and a skylight. On an unusual circular site stands the Eppstein House, a long and low structure. Wright planned the Usonian-style dwelling to be built using his distinctive textile blocks.
Read more on 7 Frank Lloyd Wright houses currently up for sale.
The Therme Vals
Architects: Peter Zumthor
Location: Therm, Switzerland
The Therme Vals, located in the Graubunden Canton in Switzerland, is constructed over the sole thermal springs in the area and serves as both a hotel and a spa, offering a holistic sensory journey created by Peter Zumthor. The construction of Therme Vals relies on stacking locally quarried Valser Quarzite slabs layer by layer, drawing inspiration from this stone and utilizing it with utmost reverence and poise in the design.
Cube House
Architect: Piet Blom
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Designed by Piet Blom with the idea of “living as an urban roof,” it symbolizes a community within a city, where each building represents a tree and all the buildings together a forest. The structure consists of 38 small cubes and two larger “super-cubes,” all interconnected. Staying overnight in one of the titled cubes offers a truly unique experience. Apart from the 49-room accommodations, Stayokay Rotterdam also features a restaurant, bar, and two spaces for meetings and workshops.
Read more on Modern Masterpieces: A guide to the iconic architecture of Rotterdam.
Hotel Puerta América
Architect: Zaha Hadid (Ground Floor), Norman Foster (First Floor), John Pawson (Second Floor), David Chipperfield (Third Floor), Eva Castro and Holger Kehne (Plasma Studio) (Fourth Floor), Victorio & Lucchino (Fifth Floor), Marc Newson (Sixth Floor), Ron Arad (Seventh Floor), Kathryn Findlay (with Jason Bruges Studio) (Eighth Floor), Richard Gluckman (Ninth Floor), Arata Isozaki (Tenth Floor), Javier Mariscal and Fernando Salas (Eleventh Floor), Jean Nouvel (Twelfth Floor and Façade)
Location: Madrid, Spain
Hotel Puerta América is a luxury hotel located in Madrid, Spain. The hotel has a unique concept: Each of its 12 floors was designed by a different international architect. Contributors include Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, and Ron Arad, among others.
Each floor showcases a different design style, from futuristic and organic forms to minimalist and avant-garde aesthetics.
