What does architectural restoration, transformation, or renovation entail? What factors are involved in their processes? When delving into the interiors of Spanish homes, we set out to discover the various methodologies, tools, and technical and construction strategies that are often employed, with stone as the main protagonist.
In order to reveal the passage of time and uncover the hidden history behind the spaces we inhabit, the use of stone can connect with the local traditions of a specific environment and also hark back to the architecture of past centuries, which, among other features, sought to achieve desired comfort in its interior spaces through thick walls, as is the case with the 108ERA Reforma farmhouse renovation in Granera. Today, various architecture professionals face the challenge of deciding how to intervene, or not, in these buildings to meet the needs of their inhabitants and improve their habitability conditions through innovative solutions that engage in a dialogue with existing structures and combine various materials, technologies, and more.
Next, we have curated a selection of 20 houses in Spain that have undergone various processes of restoration, rehabilitation, expansion, renovation, remodeling, or transformation, revealing notable architectural traits and characteristics while preserving and highlighting their original materiality.
House-Studio / inN arquitectura
"The rehabilitation of La Posada took five years, a long process in which each decision resulted from care and precision. There was no surface that a human hand did not pass through at this time. As if it were a great careening, entire sections of slabs were removed, their elements collected, reviewed, selected, and repositioned. Everything of value was reused where it was most helpful.
We cannot fail to emphasize that the most sustainable material is the one that is not used. Here, not only slabs were recovered. Demolition stones were used to regrow the gable end or the corral wall, clay tiles to pave the corral, block bricks to repair the bread oven and the roofs still retain their old tile cured with sun and rain. Even the passage doors were used for furniture. Wood, ceramic tiles, and manual clay tiles stand out among the contribution materials. The repair of the walls of the upper floor was made with lime mortar and its pavement is a continuous clay floor. The profuse wooden paneling, made by the Galaroza carpenters, only furthers the path of authenticity."
Learn more about this project here.
Renovation of the Priorat / Atienza Maure Arquitectos
"The project consists of the rehabilitation of a Castilian mansion from the s. XVI had burned in a fire in 2011. Only the stone walls, the staircase with a vault, and the voussoirs of the collapsed arches remained. The building had formerly been used as the residence of the prior of the Monastery of Oña."
[...] "The first intention of the project was to introduce this natural light that was lacking without disturbing the historic stone facades too much. It seemed to us that the best way to do this was through five skylights that cross the intermediate floors to the common areas on the ground floor. These skylights open onto two large atriums from where parallel stairs run; the original stone and a new steel and concrete one of the same width. This allows configuring a sequence of spaces on different levels, illuminated from above and framed by stone and concrete arches."
Learn more about this project here.
108ERA Renovation of a farmhouse in Granera / Vallribera Arquitectes
"The building maintains its structure of loadbearing walls that divides the house into three separate, independent spaces. This layout is preserved. The stone walls are stripped, and the necessary passageways are created to connect these spaces. Three large openings are created on the ground floor, on the south façade. This action radically changes how the building operates. The boundaries between the inside and outside are blurred: the room, the balcony window, the shade of the pergola, and the landscape all blend into one."
[...] "The same stone walls provide the finishes for the entire interior. Local stone walls with a thickness of 50, 60, and 70 centimeters, original ceilings with ceramic beams plastered and painted white, and a single flooring material throughout the intervention.
The stone walls are also the temperature regulators for the house. Their thermal inertia and good orientation keep the house insulated in winter and cool in summer. The north façade, half buried against the ground, is reclad to control infiltrations. The ceiling and roof are insulated and the windows and doors are replaced. The wisteria that will grow across the pergola, the rolling blinds, and wooden shutters guarantee good control of sunlight."
Learn more about this project here.
Paqui's House / Mentrestant Arquitectura Cooperativa
"The project works to refurbish the existing construction to adapt it to the needs of the users while conserving at all times the typology and spatiality of the original dwelling." [...]
"The house maintains the masonry walls of the façades, walls with great cultural and constructive value, and builds new floors with wooden beams and ribbed floor slabs to comply with current legislation. The staircase, metallic and suspended, arranges the interior and tries to give lightness to an interior of small dimensions, dominated by the walls. The façades show the intervention, highlighting in the treatment of the walls, the existing and the enlarged; the traditional walls are protected with waterproof lime mortar, the new facing is accentuated through its uniformity, and the openings with wooden shutters seek to recover elements that have sometimes been forgotten."
Learn more about this project here.
From Dance Hall to House Transformation / estudi marmar
"The project transforms the town’s old dance hall– later used as commercial premises– into a 4-apartment building. The site is in the old town’s Mayor Street of Sant Esteve de Palautordera, a pedestrian area next to the village’s main commercial street (Carretera de Montseny), which is part of a residential fabric of buildings between party walls.
The proposal presents the following strategies:
- Preserving and pointing out the value of the constructive elements of interest in the existing building. The masonry pillar, the slabs made of metal joists and ceramic vaults, and the roof’s wooden truss, beams, and joists were preserved.
- Reclaiming the original facade. The materiality and composition of the original facade were rediscovered by demolishing the ventilated external skin and the damaged areas of the masonry walls were cleaned up.
- Improving energy efficiency and structure of the building. The existing structure was reinforced to withstand the demands required for the new use of the building. The facades and roof of the building were isolated to increase the apartments’ interior comfort and meet the requirements of the current regulations.
Learn more about this project here.
Can Freixes House / Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
"A 'Masía' is a rural building that is generally isolated and linked to family farms and/or livestock farms. They have been widespread across eastern Spain and the South of France for many centuries."
[...] "In terms of construction, the widespread use of stone and ceramics stood out. In most masías, a barrel-vault could be found on the ground floors (as in this case) to protect the wooden beams from damage caused by damp in the stables."
[...] "Therefore, the first starting point was to recover the essence of the Masía, conserving and enhancing the few original elements (mainly found on the ground floor), while also improving the extension’s appearance as much as possible, to make it more representative of the style we are working with."
Learn more about this project here.
Mediona 13 House / NUA arquitectures
"Mediona 13 is the rehabilitation of one of the numerous uninhabited houses of the historical center of Tarragona. The intervention consists in allowing more flexible use of the space, bringing natural light, and preserving as much as possible the existing construction."
[...] "The existing structure is reinforced and the walls are consolidated. Colors that are used in the new structural elements were discovered in the existing walls. The 'light blue' is chosen for the common space, a color traditionally used for hygienic and spiritual reasons in windows, facades, and entrances."
Learn more about this project here.
Shelter of a Wall House / Agora Arquitectura
"The commission requires rebuilding the found and pursuing the idea of a place to spend the weekend. The project is located, sheltered by the only wall that still stands the test of time."
[...] "In reality, everything is explained in a small 80cm offset that separates the traces of the old building from the new one. The subtle dislocation avoids taking off the old construction in the execution of the new one. It allows for stability by giving space to a dry stone backing, which uses loose rocks from the excavation of the exposed slab. But above all, it forces us to constantly wander between limits that indeterminate the presence of both realities. In the same direction, 11 prefabricated wooden pillars are placed on the base, parallel to the existing wall."
Learn more about this project here.
Casa tosca / Ghadban de Pascual architects
"This project came to us in a state of total ruin from the 12th century and has been transformed into a work of art, located in the heart of the historic district of Jávea, following a comprehensive rehabilitation. Rehabilitation and renovation projects tell the story and culture of a town and should be preserved and improved upon after intervention. This gives rise to projects where the new coexists with the old. Driven by a passion for the rehabilitation and transformation of traditional architecture while maintaining the essence of our Mediterranean architecture, the history of the building is clearly reflected without modernity even touching the old. The original essence is recovered while ensuring the comforts that every home can offer today.
Originally composed of three bays with very dark and compact spaces, only the first bay is preserved, as the others required complete structural intervention due to their ruined state. This achieves continuity and a sense of spaciousness. It is a project primarily focused on the section and half-levels. Since it is a historical building, solutions compatible with the original construction have been adopted, alternatives to the reinforced concrete compression layer due to its weight and its inability to breathe, would block water migration. Therefore, dry materials like plywood panels have been used. This construction solution was ideal for reducing weight, an essential requirement to avoid altering the structure of the old building."
Learn more about this project here.
Casa ca na Joaneta / TORO Arquitectura + Different Design
"Ca na Joaneta is an off-grid retreat situated in a land of 5.500 m2 land, halfway from the towns of Ariañy and Maria de la Salut. It is located in an area between dry stone walls that generate the iconic landscape of “Pla de Mallorca”. The reconstruction of the isolated single-family house on rustic soil maintains the same proportions and essence of the traditional construction. In order to shape this sustainable holiday home, only sandstones from the original structure and vernacular materials have been used.
The building sits over the original masonry walls’ footprint. This pre-existence in the territory has conditioned the distribution of the functional program and the adjacent free spaces, leaving the rest in its natural state, unchanged." [...]
Learn more about this project here.
Rural House in Santa Eulalia / NeuronaLab
"The project is a restoration of a rural house that comes from the clients' need to escape from the city and to take care of the elderly who live in the farmhouse next door. It is a house with a trapezoidal plan that belongs to a group of buildings formerly linked to the agricultural exploitation of the area, the Can Barnils farmhouse.
A project in which materials from the area are mainly reused, many of them coming from the demolition. The starting point was to re-consolidate the envelope, improve it climatically with projected cork insulation, and the centennial construction system has been valued." [...]
[...] "At the interior design level, the original floors, beams, and carpentry have been recovered in dialogue with the new materials little processed, such as terracotta and concrete floors, natural stone, and wood. These approaches ensure that its inhabitants connect with the natural environment, surrounded by vegetation, reducing their stress level so characteristic of urban life."
Learn more about this project here.
Can Daudor / Aramé Studio
"The 'Masía de Can Perpinyà' complex, built in the 18th century, was dedicated for 200 years to agricultural and livestock exploitation. In the 2000s the house was abandoned and 20 years later, the new generations of the family decided to start an equine breeding farm.
The Can Daudor project is part of this modernization process, transforming an old barn into a single-family house for the new owners of the complex, a space for domestic life and work, that will serve as support for the different tasks of the new farm."
Learn more about this project here.
Extension of a Party House in Cruïlles / majoral·tissino, architects
"We are faced with the project of expanding a house that we had renovated a few years ago. The clients purchased the adjacent residence, a building with entirely different characteristics from the renovated house. The starting point is also unusual since the first residence meets all the habitability requirements (kitchen, dining room, living room, bedrooms...). The new functional program includes a larger living room, an open studio overlooking a courtyard, and a new bedroom.
The new house, built with load-bearing stone walls and a gable roof, occupies a corner position at the intersection of two well-established streets in the historic fabric of the old town. It consists of a semi-buried vaulted ground floor and an upper floor with various rooms."
Learn more about this project here.
Villa Serrano / CRUX arquitectos
"The Villa Serrano project, by CRUX architects (Raquel Sola and Alejandro Gª Pedrón), is the result of the rehabilitation of domestic space for its adaptation as rural accommodation." […]
[…] "On a constructive and material level, the walls’ construction material -completely plastered before- is exposed, the tiles and original elements are retrieved, and the presence of the wiring and plumbing is organized through an upper containing strip, which is flat and white, and from which they are brought down exposed. This white strip is also used as a formal device to highlight entrances and openings, in a kind of zigzagging continuity that runs through all the perimetral walls." […]
Learn more about this project here.
House 1603 / Nordest Arquitectura
"The House 1603 is a town home, with a structure of stone bearing walls and traditional elements typical of the Baix Empordà area. It is located in the heart of the small town of Begur, characterized by its mountainous landscape and its rocky beaches."
[…] "As for the materialization of the project, the driving idea is to distinguish between what is existing and the new part, so that one can understand the different stages the building has gone through.
To solve the connectivity between levels, a concrete body arises from the interior of the house, expressing itself as a cut-out volume that acts as a staircase. Understood as a massive element, it dialogues with the heavy character of the original building. The facade facing the garden, on the other hand, is resolved with a traditional reinterpretation of the curtain wall that acts as an interstitial void between the old and the new. Respecting the materials of the original house and adding new elements that enhance its essence, allows us to maintain the character that defines it."
Learn more about this project here.
Caseta de les Brugueres Refurbishment / GMO Arquitectura
"'Caseta de las Brugueras' refurbishment is a project to rehabilitate a listed small Catalan country house or “Mas”, to turn it into a small refuge for short-term vacation breaks."
[…] "The project’s primary purpose consisted in giving value to the existing construction; that is to say, differentiate the architectural intervention from the pre-existing 'Mas'."
Learn more about this project here.
Fuster House / arqbag
"The original building dates from the end of the 15th Century and is located in the fortified town square that was the origin of the town. Afterward, the passage through the building was made; this passage connects the square with the upper street. The existing building has a unique heritage value, declared a Cultural Asset of Local Interest (BCIL).
We approached the project from a purely archaeological perspective and with the purpose of enhancing the value of each and every one of the elements that constitute the pre-existence. We propose the addition of a minimal and simple structural system to improve the deficiencies of the preexistent building, in order to extend its life, as the building has been reprogrammed as a single-family house. This system provides an answer both from the material efficiency and from the programmatic efficiency."
[…] "Heritage: reinforced concrete walls and beams support the facades of the heritage building from the inside, without the need to intervene on the outside. The restoration of the original stone walls is carried out with lime mortar and a mixture of aggregates with specific local colors from two local quarries."
Learn more about this project here.
O Fieiro House / Arturo Franco
"The village of O Fieiro is located in the natural environment of Mount Pindo, known as the Celtic Olympus, a granite rock formation from which all the traditional Galician houses in the area emerge. The project considers the rehabilitation of a small animal stable, a 1920 farmhouse built with stone walls of large, well-arranged, granite ashlars, 70-80 cm thick, with a two-sloped roof made of fiber cement sheeting on a prestressed concrete joist structure."
[…] "The intervention to rehabilitate the stable and transform it into a house is based on the general concept of taking advantage of its load-bearing wall system that works in compression and use it as a container and support for a new structure of wooden floor slabs working in tension. The construction and structural system are solved with three materials, wood, steel, and truck straps, in collaboration with the original stone."
[…] "The entire structure remains visible, including protection on the underside of the roof made of solid pine wood slats supported on the flange of the concrete joist. All exterior and interior carpentry, which were in poor condition or non-existent, have been replaced by new metal carpentry. All the interior stone divisions have been preserved, repairing the walls and adding new openings to connect the spaces with each other. In addition, other unique stone elements have been preserved, such as the stairs, the fireplace, the sink, and a font."
Learn more about this project here.
Castromao House / PLP Atelier
"The rehabilitation comprises three contiguous buildings in the rural settlement of Castromao, belonging to Ourense province. The goal is to transform the old farmers’ houses, currently abandoned and strongly deteriorated, into a dwelling by annexing the three spaces that were originally independent. The area of the plot reaches a total of 150 m2 divided into ground and first floors."
[…] "The first step in the rehabilitation of this residence is to identify the unique and interesting elements and separate them from those with less significance or that are in a highly depreciated state, in order to proceed with their restoration and care independently of any subsequent additions that may have distorted the original construction. Based on this premise, it is worth highlighting the value, from our point of view, of the stone walls, present to a greater or lesser extent in the three volumes that make up the residence. These will become the focal point of the project, as we start with a deep respect for them to organize all the spaces. Cleaning and repointing will be carried out, both internally and externally, and no new openings will be made in the facades, preserving the original morphology."
Learn more about this project here.
Rec House / Guallart Architects
"The project focuses on the reform of two buildings that hosted a small textile industry and a house at the end of the 19th century, in the Rec neighborhood in Igualada, near Barcelona. The neighborhood is currently in the process of transformation from its industrial tradition focused on leather tanning to become a creative neighborhood that also hosts artists, cultural events, and gastronomy.
The project has been an exercise based on emptying the buildings of slabs, patios, walls, and pillars to find the space of the house and the office inside. Therefore, the project is based on a work of demolishing, reinforcing, recycling, and valuing buildings made with simple, popularly-based materials." […]
Learn more about this project here.
* The texts are descriptions sent by the authors of the projects.
