Porch House

The project consists of rehabilitating Can Creuet, a traditional 18th century farmhouse situated in Santa Pau, inside La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone National Park. The original structure sits on one of the geological formations characteristic of the site, the result of volcanic eruptions which cause irregularities in the terrain of the main valley. The original building: compact, hermetic, and made of local stone, was conceived as a refuge from the harsh climate. The intervention proposes to 'complete' the place, preserving the virtues of the existing and smoothing out the cadences. Building a porch on the south facade of the house, the space originally occupied by the farm animals, offers much needed open space for daily life, and connects the house with its priviledged site. The black zinc skin of the new volume, prefabricated using industrial techniques, contributes to the neutrality of the intervention, focusing attention on the spectacle of the exhuberence and variability of the surrounding landscape. The light and forceful geometry contrasts with the massive and irregular original house. The porch was conceived as a giant, inhabitable window that regulates the relationship of the dwelling with the exterior climate: inviting solar rays deep inside the house in the winter and in turn providing shade in the summer. Differing depths, depending on use and orientation, like the multiple levels of transparency managed by screens, regulate the gradient between the house and the environment, between the home and the landscape. built surface 310m2