Rehabilitation of an Old House by Terral Arquitectos
The Rehabilitation of an Old House marries tradition with modernity in Vélez-Málaga, Spain. This single-story house retains its historic facade, giving way to a large modern courtyard embraced by interior spaces. The design by local firm Terral Arquitectos integrates the original stone masonry walls and courtyard with new, carefully considered extensions that allow the historic building to remain intact while meeting the needs of a contemporary family.
A 20th-Century Building With Bad Construction Quality
The original house, built in the first half of the 20th century, consisted of two parallel sections facing the Pilar de San Roque street, built with stone masonry walls bonded with rough mortar. The roof was a gabled tile design. The rest of the plot was a backyard with a corral.
Over the years, this original house expanded, adding rooms in the back courtyard that reduced the open space. The original wooden roof structure was replaced with a unidirectional concrete slab supported by pre-stressed beams, and the central load-bearing wall was removed, replaced by two large solid brick pilasters that support two metal beams acting as a lintel. The construction quality of the pre-existing building was poor, but the decision was made to restore the original house and the courtyard.
A Magnificent Courtyard As The Axis Of The House
From there, the necessary extensions were made to meet the family’s needs, while keeping as much open space as possible. The result is a renovated old house, with a small courtyard restored as a surgical intervention, and a controlled expansion that creates a larger courtyard to which the interior life of the new house can flow.
Between the old house and the new extension, a linear piece resolves the junction of the structure and water drainage. A concealed gutter on the exterior becomes visible on the interior, acting as a large concrete lintel supporting the new roof.
Photography courtesy of Terral Arquitectos
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