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 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 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.