The Newly Restored Son Canoves Houses from Spain

In 2011 Duch Pizá Arquitectos had to conduct a project in collaboration with architect Iciar De Basterreche that consisted in the restoration of a series of local country houses. They were buildings from the 19th century located in Secar de la Real, La Palma, Islas Baleares, Spain. The project was developed in 2011 and, among others, included the restoration of this beautiful house.

This is a building with a rectangular plan and three stories in the central area. The height decreases gradually on the sides and the house features lateral terraces overlooking the gardens on both sides and on multiple levels. The gardens were originally part of the property but were later turned into public spaces, independent of the building. The house had been abandoned for several years and was in bad shape. Restoring it to its former beauty was not an easy task.

The project was organized into two programs, the community center and the library. The first volume occupies and ground floor and the first level. In order to reestablish the connection with the outdoor areas and to what used to be a garden, the multipurpose rooms were placed on the ground floor, at the ends of the building. They open towards the courtyard and create a continuous space. The upper floor is occupied by the library. It’s a space filled with natural light and it also has a skylight in the center{found on archdaily and pics by Jaime Sicilia}.