Studio Becker Xu, led by Robert Becker and Sharon Xu, crafted The Dogtrot House in Hillsborough, North Carolina, in 2023. Inspired by historic vernacular design, this 3,400-square-foot home features pavilions connected by a central corridor, merging indoor and outdoor living amidst a densely wooded site.
This new house in Pals, Spain, designed by Harquitectes in 2023, rises from the ruins of an old farmhouse, reinterpreting the values of vernacular architecture with a contemporary approach. The project aims to integrate seamlessly into the exceptional landscape of Baix Empordà, a continuum of agricultural spaces with the constant presence of ancestral farmhouses. The morphology of the original structure informs the structural typology and spatial organization of the new house, which features a grid of successive rooms configured by load-bearing walls, thick Cyclopean concrete, and structural vaults. The new roof, with its two sloping tiles, recovers the original height and volume of the building, while the existing stone facades are consolidated and enhanced with new openings.