Architects: Pepa Díaz Arquitecta
Area: 1324 ft²
Year: 2015
Photographs: Juan Sánchez Calventus
Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Ceramicas Antonio Aleman, Levantina Techlam Gran Formato, Weber Saint-Gobain
Lead Architect: Pepa Díaz
Design Team: Pepa Díaz
Collaborators: José Luis Pérez
Country: Spain
The Pastrana I is a refurbishment-extension house intended to retrieve the essence of the Mediterranean Levantine house, set amidst the foothills of Sierra de las Moreras and Malcamino watercourse, in the midst of plowed fields and dry stone terraces, this house seeks to geometrically represent its origins, without distorting in the distance the landscape in which it stands, concentrating the intervention on it and leaving the rest in a state as unaltered as possible.
The materialization has opted for the widespread presence of natural, breathable, and healthy solutions. To this end, the refurbished section recovers the stone from the extension works, where the areas linked to daytime activity are located, while the enlarged section is finished in clay sourced from the area, where the night-time rooms are located.
Moreover, the woodwork and the untreated terracotta floor contribute, among other supporting materials, to achieving the most “ecological” habitat conceivable, helping its main dweller detach himself from industrial life.
The house is airtight from the inside. In Summer it does not need air conditioning. In Winter, only a wood cooker is required for the days when temperatures can get harsher. The main purpose is that the house brings the dweller back to the origin, without ornament or decoration – this is the essence of his or her own place.
