Colonia Mirasierra

The origins of the Mirasierra housing estate can be traced back to a 1927 project by Sociedad de Casas Baratas (the “Low-cost Housing Society”) for a large satellite town. Their idea was to build single-family, single-storey houses, and the urban plan was organised around circular squares.

The housing plan of 1954 introduced high-rise construction and specified the final location of the green areas and the conditions for occupying the plots. There are only a few remaining examples of the single-family homes built in the late 1920s, which were the essence of the estate: single-storey, whitewashed mortar on a stone base, with slate gable roofs.

Since the 1960s, the residential estate has grown, with collective housing on the outskirts and single-family homes in the centre. Due to the socio-economic diversity of the neighbourhood, there has always been a certain typology of buildings.

In the main streets, such as Calle de La Masó, there are many terraced houses of remarkable quality. The numerous single-family homes range from the types found in the original estate to later monumental houses, such as the red brick house on Calle Nuria or the glass extension to the garden of the house on Calle Cerro del Castañar.

The commercial area at the beginning of Calle Nuria, made up of small shops arranged around a courtyard, and the Nuestra Señora de las Nieves church and rectory complex date back to when the estate was first built.

Later, the commercial areas were completed with shops, schools and service buildings along Calle Nuria, as well as Ruber International Hospital on Calle de La Masó. Mirasierra Sports Club is also an example of excellent 1970s architecture.

(Information courtesy of the COAM Architecture Foundation.)

Updated: 30/10/2025