Las Mezquitas is the name of a nineteenth-century Andalusian farmhouse built on the ruins of a tenth-century Arab mosque. In the first place, the intervention in the building seeks to reveal the ancient ruins that have been enclosed by the walls of the new building and, secondly, to create a multidisciplinary space where the study, cataloguing and renovation of the rural buildings in the area are carried out.
Andalusian farmhouses are a faithful reflection of living architecture where environment, construction and human activities grow and are developed in an ongoing dialogue. This is the principal idea that we are taking as our starting point. The approach to the project is based on seeking the union between past and present from among the remains of an ancient architecture and an up to date architecture, and this is achieved with passageways that cross the courtyard and connect one building with the other.
At the same time, fluid communication in the interior is sought through a series of elements that create a pattern of horizontal and vertical planes that join together and form a compact network, imbuing the space with fluidity. Inside the new building, there is a central area – which is for the offices – where a horizontal union is created, through a table that crosses the whole space, and another vertical union which is what links the ground floor with the first floor. This union is achieved thanks to shelves that rise from the ground floor to the top going in front of the wrought work.
As regards the dialogue with the setting, this is achieved using local materials such as olive wood, compacted and treated earth from the site, esparto grass blinds, etc. Sustainable architecture has been used: with the facade and roof ventilated, and using alternative energy, namely geothermal. All of these features together make up a modern and streamlined building that does not seek to compete with its environment but which, to the contrary, aims to mimic it and adapt to the rural environment.
