Traditional organic construction at Alquife (Granada)

Rural C in collaboration with Artediverso have made this project of restoration and traditional construction.

We have rehabilitated and saved an old house, made with stone, clay, lime and timber, which was arranged last over 50 years. Our mission was to perform the work required to restore the house habitable again to develop in the future cultural activities.

The house is located at Alquife (Granada), situated in a prime location with a wide view, on the west the Sierra Nevada alpine landscape, on the est the Castle of Calahorra and the intuition of the desert of Almeria.

We used a technique based on handicraft, without machines or electricity. We use natural local materials to create a 100% organic home, healthy materials that transpire and adapt to local climate. The design is in harmony with the environment, integrated into the natural landscape of the hill.

Here we report the process:

0 - Throughout the process we made a work of separation and recovery of the original materials for reuse on site.

1 - Fixed base wall of the first floor. Reinforcing to the natural fall of the hill. We use stone, clay, lime and good slabs.

2 - On the west side reconstruct the damaged stone wall and raise the rest of the wall with thermal clay brick and sand paste with natural hydraulic lime (originally also was brick wall).

3 - Dismantle the roof insulation and the old hurdle. The roof surface is quite large, 150 m2. We clean all the covering material up to the rafters.

4 - We removed the 4 beams broken on the north side, also dismantle all beams extending the south side of the house to be invaded by termites. We have rescued and clean up those who remain healthy, brushing and treating with salt water and chili oil.

5 - recovered wood eaves and clean up with the same procedure.

6 - Insert new poplar beams, treating them first..

7 - Place the hurdle and extend above the insulation board harmonizing levels. The insulation board consists of pine bark, collected waste in forestry work in the area, together with sifted clay and natural hydraulic lime.

8 - We cleaned the original tiles, around 5.000, ordering them for using as "rivers" or "covers".

9 - Placing tiles. We place a tile of the roof of Rural C Villanueva de los Infantes.

Originally the house was a compact layer of hydraulic mortar adhering the tiles. At present most of the houses in the village have the tiles places in a dry process (without mortar).

We decided to use fine sand with natural hydraulic lime of 3.5 at a ratio of 3/1, based on the original mode, but saving in the fill of hydraulic mortar. This system creates an air chamber that allows to maintain optimum temperatures inside the house.

We use traditional brick together with a mortar composed of fine sand and natural hydraulic lime 5, in a ratio of 3/1 to construct the chimney.