Stone and Water is one of those projects that demonstrate how contemporary architecture can bring out a place’s potential without overshadowing its history. In Sanlúcar de Guadiana, a small Spanish village situated on a hill overlooking the River Guadiana, two architectural practices – Zurita Studio and Kalibra Arquitectura – have transformed a 19th-century building. The border post, which once guarded the border with Portugal, was in a terrible state. However, thanks to the developer, it has been given a new lease of life.
The architects did not treat the ruins as a museum artefact. Instead of reconstruction, they chose to work with what was already there – the stone outline, the cracks, and the traces of its former function. The preserved embrasures beneath the windows still serve as a reminder of the building’s role in the river surveillance system, whilst its massive walls define the geometry and atmosphere of the new home. The reinforced structure has been supplemented only by a discreet extension, ensuring that the whole retains the scale and character of the original building.
Rooted in the history of the place
The village has just over 420 inhabitants, nearly a fifth of whom are expats, mainly from the UK. Sanlúcar is the first safe haven on the Guadiana – a place where sailors stop after a voyage from the Atlantic, often for many months, and sometimes for the rest of their lives. This constant turnover of newcomers has fostered a local culture of openness, travel and the water. It was in this very environment that the owner of the house, Olga, has spent years building her connection with the place – first living on boats and in friends’ homes, then in a small cabin by the river, until finally deciding to buy the ruins together with her partner, an Argentine sailor and artist.
A sanctuary and a space of openness
The new house was conceived as a continuous sequence of spaces devoid of doors. Intimacy here stems from the thickness of the walls, their arrangement and the lines of sight. This design allows for life within a single, flexible environment – catering both to Olga’s solitary life and to gatherings with family or friends. At the same time, three of the four façades open out onto the landscape, creating seamless transitions between the interior and the surroundings. A stroll through the house is like walking along one of the many paths leading to the river – it offers a pause, provides shelter and invites you to rest.
A limited budget and difficult access to the plot meant that the design was based on the principle of reusing materials. This was a conscious choice that has resulted in architecture open to future changes. The house features elements from various sources: a second-hand sideboard, an old sink, a stove, kitchen appliances and fragments of earlier structures. The same roof beams were used to build the stairs and part of the kitchen, whilst the flooring material served as the worktop, washbasin and shower finish. The minimalist veranda acts as a frame, the shading of which can be adjusted depending on the season and the materials available.
A house in a warm climate
Environmental strategies are based on traditional building principles: thermal inertia, cross-ventilation, appropriate orientation and insulation. The double-height section of the interior allows for natural air stratification, the stone walls and floor ensure the accumulation of coolness, and the roof design provides protection from the afternoon sun. Openings in the façades ensure a breeze, enabling the house to function without air conditioning. Energy is supplied by photovoltaic panels mounted on a nearby structure, which also serves as a covered parking area.
Contemporary Southern Architecture
‘Stone and Water’ is a reflection on how to live in a southern climate without resorting to excessive technology. At a time when many homes are becoming mere images rather than places, and spaces are over-cooled and cut off from the real environment, the design by Zurita Studio and Kalibra Arquitectura proposes a different path. It is an architecture that embraces heat, shade and materiality as natural conditions of life – less spectacular, more grounded. The result is a house that allows the past to coexist with the present.
design: Zurita Studio, Kalibra Arquitectura
photographs: Juanca Lagares,www.juancalagares.com, Ulrich Stockhaus,www.ulrichstockhaus.ch
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