CASA PALLÁS

Santa María de Buil, Ainsa, 2017

A renovation of a large dilapidated village farmhouse and its outbuildings.

A truly collaborative project with design input from the clients as well as other architects in the early concept stages.

The work was carried out in two phases. The first involved remodelling and integrating the agricultural outbuildings into a three bedroom house on the south side. Then the main building was completely reconstructed to make a larger three storey house.

Many of the original traditional features were kept, reconfigured or recreated in order to maintain the essence of the historical past of the building, while other completely new elements allow it to have a new life firmly placed in the present. Traditional building materials and techniques were used with acontemporary language, sometimes contrasting and sometimes complementing the existing features.

The design was focused around the central atrium space and finding the right balance between opening the house up to the light and warmth of the sun, while protecting it from the heat of the summer. A variety of materials and space configurations were used to achieve this; light/ heavy, high/ low, open/ closed. Flexibility was also an important issue in the context of a growing, active family.

Solar water heaters and wood fired stoves provide sustainable heating and hot water, and together with a high level of interior insulation, improve efficiency and reduce running costs.