The Villas del Nilo development is located in Isla Natura, the new eco-neighborhood under development in the south of Seville, in the Palmas Altas area, driven by private initiative. This ambitious urban project aspires to become the city’s benchmark eco-neighborhood, combining sustainability, active mobility, high-quality public spaces, and a residential offering of approximately 3,000 homes, in a strategically located urban expansion area.

Within this context, the commission focuses on one of the plan’s plots, specifically R8, located next to the Guadaíra riverside park.

The urban planning regulations establish terraced single-family housing as the main typology. Accordingly, the project proposes 33 dwellings distributed in seven clusters, with layouts of 3 and 4 bedrooms, in a ratio of approximately one-third and two-thirds, respectively.

Given the characteristics of the surroundings and the founding principles of the eco-neighborhood, the chosen typology is the courtyard house, deeply rooted in Seville’s residential tradition. This choice responds not only to cultural intent but also to climate-adaptation criteria, allowing for a high degree of passive thermal comfort. The proposal is reinforced by private gardens directly connected to landscaped communal areas.

Initially, low enclosures were proposed to encourage a sense of community, but client and developer guidelines evolved as the works progressed, ultimately opting for more conventional boundary solutions.

The internal layout of the development organizes distribution streets and parking areas along the outer edges of the plot, thus preserving the privacy of the interior space, which is dedicated to community life. In this central area are the leisure zones, swimming pool, and children’s play area.

Basement parking was dismissed for both economic and environmental reasons, opting instead for surface-level spaces shaded by newly planted trees.

The courtyards not only organize the domestic program but also act as internal lungs that promote natural lighting and cross ventilation—highly effective in Seville’s climate. These are intimate, lived-in spaces that extend the domestic realm outdoors and concentrate daily activities.

From a construction standpoint, the project adopts material solutions linked to the local building tradition. The ground floors are finished with a lime mortar plinth, while the upper floors use exposed brick in three different tones, each assigned to one of the seven clusters. This chromatic variation, along with the interplay of volumes, enriches the spatial perception of a highly optimized urban setting. Striking formal solutions were avoided, favoring formal restraint in the pursuit of timeless architecture.

The landscaping proposal strictly follows the guidelines established by the developer as a framework for the neighborhood’s vegetative development. In line with these criteria, the design embraces species diversity, the use of native flora adapted to the local climate, and vegetation stratification following the 3-30-300 rule—thus fostering the creation of resilient urban habitats, improving climatic comfort, and enhancing ecosystem services. The selection of species and the arrangement of plantings follow principles of sustainability, water efficiency, and biodiversity promotion, ensuring a harmonious integration with the natural environment of the Guadaíra riverside.