ART CORNER

The idea arises from the demographic challenge to combat depopulation and the imbalance between rural and urban areas. The goal is to activate the rural municipality by rehabilitating houses, transforming it into a "territory of opportunities" to attract new residents and prevent youth migration. The challenge lies in how to intervene in existing, decaying structures without altering the traditional image, while combining new construction with rehabilitation to enhance the region's architectural and construction heritage.

Based on prior research analyzing the state of conservation of the existing homes, the project selectively proposes the demolition of adjoining walls. Nine buildings are envisioned within a rural environment, employing traditional architectural materials while incorporating contemporary analysis. The strategy involves the use of a self-supporting structure that colonizes the space and addresses the issue of how to inhabit the ruins. Conventional solutions are avoided in favor of creating original systems tailored to the site. The versatility of the structure allows it to adapt to irregular “inherited” spaces, accommodating artisan activities, and serving the village while revitalizing unused public areas and generating socially engaging spaces. A combination of new construction and rehabilitation is used to highlight the architectural and construction heritage of the region, positioning the inhabitants as the heart of the project. The dwellings in poor condition are grouped together, preserving the external envelope. This architectural operation radically alters the town's urban fabric, modifying the domestic scale to industrialize the space and adapt to a new artisanal scale, all while preserving the external image. The program is designed in steps to respond to the steep topography of the site, following the process of artisanal production. Sustainability is integrated from the outset, ensuring adherence to environmental principles (respecting the existing structures), social aspects (job creation), and economic/material concerns (circular economy). Ultimately, this project for La Hiruela merges new technologies with tradition, with Integration, Respect, Reinterpretation, Coexistence, Rehabilitation, and Technology as the essential ingredients for this intervention.