Balearic Bauhaus – Casa Broner
Built into the alleys of Eivissa’s old town district of Sa Penya in 1960, Casa Broner has been designed by architect, painter and designer Erwin Broner. The building is inspired by traditional Ibizan architecture and imprinted by clean lines that reference the typical German Bauhaus look of the 1920s and 1930s. Through creating a fusion of these architectural styles, Broner brings an entirely new standard of modern and distinctive Balearic architecture into being.
Grown up in Munich, Erwin Broner has lived and worked across Germany, Spain and the US – contributing to a variety of architecture, film and art projects. Numerous international influences shape his work as an abstract impressionist painter while his architectural style is mainly determined by planar forms and an avant-garde appeal. During his many visits, Broner was deeply attracted by the Baleares and fascinated by the whitewashed masonry and signifying characteristics of Ibizan fincas. When he eventually settled on the island in 1959, he started to design Casa Broner as a home for his wife, Gisela, and himself.
After passing a few stair treads towards the main entrance, visitors are immediately led into an open living room on the property’s top floor. Equipped with huge window facades and complemented by a roof terrace, the space enables a vast view across the southern cliffs and towards the adjacent island of Formentera.
The rather shallow building’s ground floor served as an art studio and stands out with its particular simple setup. The furnishing is limited to the bare necessities and completed by a few sketches and documentations.
With Broner’s original interior and paintings still being arranged around the premises, an intimate atmosphere is created. Rattan baskets, ceramics, glass vessels and a personal collection of books transport the feeling of the resident still living there. The entire space gives an impression of Broner’s understanding of tones, forms and his fine instinct for their aesthetic interaction. While every item seems casually placed, the interior’s overall ensemble conveys a steady state of calm.
Reflecting the architect’s way of working and his appreciation for the local tradition, Casa Broner embodies a composition of merging contrasts that evolve and transform throughout the day. Striking shadow plays that appear with the rise of the mediterranean midday sun add to clear geometric shapes defined by the Bauhaus style.
Whitewashed walls meet red bricks and resonate the sound of the waves that changes with the tides. Living and working environment blend and harmonize naturally and thus give reminiscence of the symbiotic interplay between Erwin Broner and his balearic muse. Being so remarkably inspired by Ibiza, he leaves an imprint himself: during his lifetime, Broner designed and built about 50 houses across the island and shaped its architectural appearance significantly.
(originally written for casa cook)
