#61 of 100Design Hotel

Hotel Viura

Villabuena de Álava, País Vasco•

•€€€

“Radical architecture among vineyards”

About the hotel

Hotel Viura is a radical architectural intervention in the medieval village of Villabuena de Álava: cubes of Corten steel and glass stacked in a seemingly chaotic manner that contrast with the traditional stone houses. Its location among vineyards in the Rioja Alavesa completes the experience.

Nomadiq Pick

The sunset from the terrace overlooking the vineyards and dinner paired with local wines.

Why we love it

Joseba and Xabier Aramburu's avant-garde architecture, a precarious cubist pile that makes visitors feel as if they were in front of a sculpture instead of a building.
The radical contrast with its neighbor, an 18th century church, creating an ultramodern fantasy that sits surprisingly well alongside the ultra-traditional.
The hillside-encrusted structure incorporating polished rock as a design element, with liberally stacked cubes dotted with balconies, terraces and huge windows
The nearly 40 wineries of Villabuena de Álava, the village with the most wineries per inhabitant in Rioja.
The panoramic corner office type views from most of its rooms, over the village and the Sierra de Cantabria.

Highlights

Michelin Guide

Selected hotel

Radical architecture

Steel buckets

Rioja Alavesa

Land of wines

History

In just over 10 years, Hotel Viura has become the destination of choice for lovers of wine, architecture and vineyard-dominated landscapes. Architects Joseba and Xabier Aramburu rejected all thoughts of vertical and horizontal to create this ultra-modern fantasy in the heart of a traditional Rioja Alavesa wine village.

Architecture & Design

Architect

Joseba y Xabier Aramburu

Construction

2010

The striking architecture was created by Joseba and Xabier Aramburu, who designed the contemporary building of stacked boxes with the region's rich wine culture at the heart of its design. The architects rejected any idea of vertical and horizontal to create an ultra-modern fantasy that sits surprisingly well next to an ultra-traditional 18th-century church. The stack of overlapping blocks that seem to tumble down is liberally sprinkled with balconies, terraces and huge windows. The entire structure is positioned on the hillside and incorporates polished rock into its design element. The rooms feature brutalist concrete along with the Basque love of wood and fine materials.

The Surroundings

País Vasco

Villabuena de Álava, with nearly 40 wineries for around 300 residents, is a fantastic location for exploring the wine country of Rioja and Rioja Alavesa. The Sierra de Cantabria mountain range dominates the skyline. Laguardia, one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Spain, is just minutes away. Frank Gehry's Hotel Marqués de Riscal is in nearby Elciego.