DWELLING THE BARN
The project emerged from the search to recover an essential way of dwelling, in contrast to the increasingly fragmented domesticity of contemporary housing, often shaped by the logic of the apartment. From the outset, the client expressed the desire to live in a barn, associated with an austere, quiet, and intimate experience—almost monastic.
Rather than reproducing a rural image, the house adopts the barn as a spatial archetype capable of establishing a different relationship between openness, structure, and permanence. In contrast to the freedom of the surrounding landscape, the interior creates a restrained and introspective atmosphere through carefully framed deep openings, reminiscent of a monastery, and shadowed spaces that encourage contemplation and privacy.
BUILDING FROM THE PLACE
Located in a remote rural setting, the house was conceived through a low-impact construction strategy that relies on local resources and building traditions. The soil excavated from the site was reused to build the rammed earth walls, whose thermal mass moderates the harsh climate of Suesca, characterized by strong winds, low temperatures, and intense solar radiation.
The timber used for flooring and joinery was harvested from the existing pine forest on the site through controlled logging and naturally seasoned during construction. The project was built alongside local craftsmen experienced in rammed earth techniques, integrating regional knowledge into the construction process.
In contrast to the mineral mass of the walls, the house is completed with a lightweight steel structure and insulated sandwich roof that reinterpret the tectonic logic of the rural barn, enabling a fast, efficient, and low-impact construction.THE ARCHITECTURAL TRANSLATION
The thick rammed earth walls made it possible to create deep, carefully controlled openings that frame specific views while preserving interior privacy, much like a monastery. Their depth is further emphasized through chamfered reveals that increase daylight penetration and reinforce the perception of thickness.
The house is experienced through shadow and filtered light. Indirect natural daylight creates a quiet, contemplative atmosphere that continues after sunset through concealed lighting, highlighting the textures and depth of the materials.
The interior courtyards reinterpret the monastery's contemplative spaces, creating an intimate relationship with nature while preserving the introspective character of the house. At the same time, they function as climatic regulators, light wells, and spaces for reflection.
Materiality reflects a search for austerity and permanence. The irregular texture of the rammed earth reveals its handcrafted construction; the timber floors were finished using the Japanese shou sugi ban technique; and the locally sourced timber joinery follows an essential, restrained language.
More than an aesthetic decision, austerity emerges as the natural consequence of a particular way of dwelling, understanding the place, and building with what the land provides.
