108ERA by Vallribera Arquitectes
108ERA is a stunning stone farmhouse located in Granera, Spain. Designed by Vallribera Arquitectes in 2022, this traditional real estate offers the perfect blend of old and new.
With its back to the street and half underground, the house is surrounded by woodlands and a garden that hides beneath a large oak tree. Inside, the building maintains its structure of loadbearing walls, preserving the existing distribution of bedrooms and creating large openings on the south façade to blur the boundaries between the inside and outside. The walls are restored using local stone, and the roof collects rainwater for irrigation of the garden.
About 108ERA
Revamp of Granera Farmhouse: Bringing the Whole Family Together
Located far enough away to lose cell service, yet close enough to get there and back for lunch, Granera Farmhouse is a century-old building that brings the whole family together for special occasions or just on a regular Sunday. The house’s loadbearing walls divide the house into three separate, independent spaces, and the stone walls are stripped and passageways are created to connect them. The boundaries between the inside and outside are blurred with three large openings on the south façade and the barbecue and fireplace installed on the boundary between the two.
Interior Design: Creating the Ideal Setting
The interior design of Granera Farmhouse is tailored to meet the needs of family gatherings. The kitchen and dining room are adjacent to the entrance, the access with the original staircase and a bathroom are in the center, and the living room is in the most secluded, quiet section. On the first floor, the existing distribution of bedrooms is maintained and an open playroom acts as a distributor and passageway between walls. The same stone walls provide the finishes for the entire interior, with a thickness of 50 (2 inches), 60 (2.4 inches), and 70 centimeters (2.76 inches), original ceilings with ceramic beams plastered and painted white, and a single flooring material throughout the intervention.
Using Immediate Resources for Sustainability
The building adapts to its surroundings, as it would have when the farmhouse was first built, optimizing the use of immediate resources. The walls are restored using local stone and coated with lime mortar and paint. Hot water and heating are supplied by a biomass furnace, and a provision is made for solar panels. An old natural well with drinking water is restored under the house, and the roof collects all the rainwater, which is channeled into a tank for irrigation of the garden. Waste water is treated and filtered into the ground.
Making Memories at Granera Farmhouse
Granera Farmhouse is the ideal setting for families to make memories. With the stone walls providing temperature regulation in winter and summer, the wisteria growing across the pergola, the rolling blinds and wooden shutters controlling sunlight, and the barbecue and fireplace, the threshold between the interior and exterior becomes the center of the house. The rest of the ingredients for a perfect gathering are children running inside, cookouts under the pergola, conversations after meals, naps under the oak tree, and evenings by the fire.
Photography by José Hevia
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- by Matt Watts
