In the natural landscape of the Albanian Riviera, amidst rocks, steep slopes and dense underbrush with pine trees and cypresses, Bofill Taller de Arquitectura has realised a project that weaves a deliberately anti-mimetic dialogue with the natural context, re-proposing the articulated configuration of the Arab kasbah already explored in a deconstructivist key in the complicated system of intertwining public and private spaces, volumetric interlocking and labyrinthine paths found in the Muralla Roja (Calpe, Alicante, Spain 1973).

The Red Sol Resort complex unfolds according to a fine-meshed grid pattern that systematically adapts to the complex orography of the terrain. A sequence of buildings of identical square plan, differently articulated in elevation to gain views of the surroundings and interconnected by a network of external staircases, bridges and walkways, compose the tesserae of the grid, emphasising the contrast between the fullness of the buildings and the emptiness of the open spaces defined by winding paths, plazas, staircases, swimming pools and panoramic terraces.

The intimacy of the dwellings is protected by a massive shell whose jagged forms suggest the features of a fortress perched on a slope, and which is diluted on the upper levels through targeted openings towards the landscape.

Natural materials, from brick to plaster to ceramics, painted in bright red, accentuate the disruptive and vigorous character of the architecture, in marked contrast to the lush green of the countryside.