These decisions were made with the intention of carrying out a sustainable rehabilitation, based on 0 Km materials. In addition, these materials perform optimally in the extreme and changeable climate of the valley: the local stone walls, with high thermal inertia, store heat during the hot summer days of Extremadura and cool down at night. Likewise, in winter they also act as a heat reserve to face the cold nights of the region.

In order to bring the house closer to the landscape, and open it to the outside, a series of openings are proposed through large wooden frames, which not only frame the landscape, but also illuminate and ventilate the spacious living rooms. These boxes are inhabited windows: artifacts that contain sofas, shelves, benches… and that provide the domesticity that the interior of a house requires. In this way, the facades become a reflection of this interior life, rather than responding to purely compositional criteria.

The rehabilitation of Cortijo Garciaz focuses on the recovery of rural Spain. After years of depopulation and rural exodus, the reconstruction of old barns and stables stands as a beacon and example for society. Recovering our architectural heritage means not only keeping our culture alive but also continuing to work the land, livestock farms, and the much-needed connections between villages. For this reason, the Cortijo Garciaz estate started a new business, “Jamones Leandro”, reaffirming its commitment to rural Spain, offering a top quality product in keeping with the architectural values of the Cortijo.

Text provided by the architect.

This new art centre and covered market is set within an exemplary built context, comprising strips of land and remarkable examples of vernacular architecture. While affirming its contemporary dimension, it highlights the constructional and aesthetic qualities of the existing buildings on the site. In doing so, it returns to a process that has characterised the formation of our built heritage — stratification. The transparency of the bay windows contrasts with the material opacity of the wood-framed houses. It thrusts itself upwards, providing shelter for the summer bar, which really extends the exhibition area outdoors. This generous arrangement confers institutional status on the cultural centre, which is intended above all to serve as a place where all can gather and talk. On the inside, the architecture and the scenography are used to promote spatial polyvalence by proposing efficient internal functioning and modulable light. Here, the exhibition area attains it universal ideal, becoming a single space with multiple uses.

Text provided by the architect.