Archtree Studio Barcelona

Notes on places & people.

Journal From the studio

Scroll

Journal

Notes from the studio.

Field observations, material studies, project sketches, and the quiet thinking behind the buildings we make. A slower stream — written when we have something to say.

Sloping building plot with pines on the coast, the sea in the distance and the ground

Process

Aug 2026 · 7 min read

Your neighbour built it. Does that mean you can?

«The neighbour built this, so I'll be able to do the same on my plot.» It's one of the lines I hear most. And it's almost never true.

By Robertas Podjapolskis

Interior of a Gothic cathedral lit by coloured stained-glass windows, evoking the original historical function of luxury in architecture: producing an experience that everyday life could not

Theory

Jun 2026 · 8 min read

Luxury Housing: Need or Indulgence?

A narrow medieval street, dark and reeking. Then the cathedral opens in light and colour. That was luxury then. And today? Luxury never appeared by accident. Every era built it to answer a specific need.

By Robertas Podjapolskis

Mediterranean home with large overhangs and exterior shutters controlling summer sun, illustrating the adaptation of the Passivhaus standard to a warm climate

Sustainability

Jun 2026 · 7 min read

Does Passivhaus Make Sense in the Mediterranean?

Why would you want a house designed to keep out the cold, if you live somewhere where heat is the problem? Could Passivhaus just be a northern fad that has no business here? Let's find out.

By Robertas Podjapolskis

A stone Catalan masia among fields, with a pitched roof and small openings, illustrating the vernacular architecture returning to the centre of the conversation

Theory

Jun 2026 · 7 min read

The Catalan Masia: A Gem Rediscovered

You walk past it a thousand times and don't really see it. Stone, low to the ground, been there three hundred years. And suddenly there's a queue to buy it. What's changed — the masia, or us?

By Robertas Podjapolskis

A surreal building in the shape of an animal, illustrating the concept of talking architecture

Theory

Jan 2025 · 6 min read

Why an elephant is not architecture?

What is talking architecture and why are there houses that don't look like houses? How to interpret that architecture, if it really is?

By Robertas Podjapolskis

A historic amphitheatre adapted across centuries, showing how layers of use give buildings the character of a work of art

Theory

Jan 2025 · 7 min read

Is architecture a form of art?

Is it necessary to follow any fashion or trend? Moreover, can architecture be considered an art form? A discussion to which we will try to give an answer in a few brief lines.

By Robertas Podjapolskis

An epoxy resin table with colourful inlays, the kind of decorative furniture that can release harmful compounds

Sustainability

Jan 2025 · 8 min read

The table that will (for sure) ruin your life

Imagine bringing a polluting object into your home. Put it in the centre of the dining room and enjoy the sight of it, while it slowly poisons you and your family. This does not happen! — you will say. Come on in and we'll see it here.

By Robertas Podjapolskis

Let's talk

Go beyond the ordinary.

Let's bring your vision to life and create something wonderful together.

Start a conversation