Integral refurbishment

La Roca del Vallès 2017

Photography:

Mariana Castel

This is a very beautiful project we did for two brothers in an XVI century building in La Roca del Vallès. The original building, used to be symmetric, like all the Catalan “masies”, formed by three naves. Currently, only two of the naves remain, and the building was in ruins. Although the suffered mistreatment, the building is heritage listed, and we wanted to make a respectful intervention.

The project gets rid of all the interior partitions and keeps the structural walls and the stone arches and lintels. We had to rebuild all the floor slabs as well as the roof, and we choose the original construction system, wooden beams. The new walls are minimum, in order to maintain the original naves clean. 

The bearing walls, were a mix of materials, formed by rammed earth, stones and brick. We discovered new details almost every week, and we were able to integrate them in the design. Every room in the house has a smooth and white wall, but with a cutout detail. The materials of the project are also respectful and traditional, like ceramics, steel and wood. The result is an enlightened and cozy country home.