A stone wall becomes the backbone of a house in Girona

H Arquitectes arranged rooms linearly along the wall, adding folding glazing to the opposite facade that completely in summer to create a porticoed space.

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Photo Adrià Goula

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Site plan

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Ground floor plan

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Elevation

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Section

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Section 2

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

Section 3

House 1413 Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

External wall

The irregular geometries and the materiality of an old stone wall are the inspiration for the house H Arquitectes built in Girona, Catalonia. Having to tear down the existing fence to allow the enlargement of the road adjacent to the lot, the Barcelona studio decided to recreate it and make the new wall the very backbone of the house, which is distributed linearly and on a single level.

The rooms are arranged longitudinally and open with large windows towards the inner garden

The rooms in succession completely open up towards the inside of the lot, so as to transform the house into a long porticoed space during the warm seasons. The thickness of the stone wall varies according to the interior spaces, in some cases expanding to accommodate bookshelves or entire service spaces.

The internal walls have been left with the marks of the formworks

The project follows the original construction logic, but adapts to contemporary needs. H Arquitectes reused the old fence stones and took aggregates from the ground, mixing them together with limestone and cement. Finally, insulating particles were added to the traditional mortar. Towards the street, the wall has been slightly chipped, to show the stones and its composition on the outside, while inside it presents signs of the formwork. House 1413 is among 40 architectural projects shortlisted for this year's Mies van der Rohe Award

  • House 1413
  • Girona
  • H Arquitectes
  • David Lorente, Josep Ricart, Xavier Ros, Roger Tudó (architects), Montse Fornés, Maya Torres (collaborators)
  • 330 sqm
  • 2017
House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Photo Adrià Goula

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Site plan

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Ground floor plan

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Elevation

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Section

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Section 2

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 Section 3

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017

House 1413 External wall

Project by H Arquitectes, Girona, Spain, 2017