The latest project carried out by Un Estudio Propio deals with the expansion of an old stable belonging to a family from the town of Los Nietos, located on the coast of the Mar Menor, belonging to the municipality of Cartagena, Murcia, in the south of Spain. The new proposal, which is located in the central area of a narrow plot, has a garden that is connected to the original house through a patio.

The project is conceived as a work of industrialized craftsmanship where the technical responses accompany the rural heritage of the environment, environmental respect, local trades, and the real economy. The building takes care of and accompanies the family and neighbors in a rural environment, which creates a large multipurpose space.
La Cuadra is an expansion project by the architecture studio Un Estudio Propio, which is organized on an original whitewashed masonry wall, generating a new green volume, which doubles the surface of the complex both in plan and volume. Inside, the structure is exposed, its layout is branched and it has a light green color that connects us with the vegetation, intuitively generating a space of calm.

The exterior is metallic, with a light mignonette green finish, seeking a deliberate contrast with the built environment, and contributing to a contemporary cultural commitment to aesthetics and sustainability. The cover reuses the dew water through the cold wall effect that occurs in the sandwich panel at night, to use it in the garden during the day. It can be considered a building that makes reasonable use of natural resources.


La Cuadra by Un Estudio Propio. Photograph by Alex Lafuente.
 

Project description by Un Estudio Propio

La Cuadra is a project of industrialized craftmanship, where technical solutions go hand in hand with the rural heritage of the environment, environmental respect, local trades, and the real economy. It is an extension of the original stable where the family kept the animals. A new green volume is supported on the original white lime-washed masonry wall, doubling the surface area and volume. It creates a large multipurpose space with a concentrated area of services at the back (kitchen, storage, laundry, bathroom, and an upper area for sleeping and working).

Located in the central area of a narrow plot, it has a garden available and is connected to the original house through a patio. These conditions create an attractive (and Mediterranean) relationship between the house and the outdoor spaces. The project adds an elevated porch with a lightweight pergola that will serve as a guide for climbing plant species, thus completing the list of outdoor spaces for enjoyment and relaxation.


La Cuadra by Un Estudio Propio. Photograph by Alex Lafuente.

Inside, the structure is left exposed, its branched greenish-white layout connects us with the natural world, intuitively calming us (the amount of greenery in a garden is proportional to its restorative character). The floor is a platform made of large-format pine wood panels that allow us to walk along the wood grain.

The exterior is metallic, reseda green, and lightweight, intentionally contrasting with the built environment and contributing to the contemporary cultural commitment to aesthetics and sustainability. Black basins collect the water from the dew through the cool wall effect produced by the sandwich roof panels at night. The water is then used in the garden during the day. This is a passive strategy (sustainability of our ancestors) for a reasonable use of our natural resources.

This building takes care of and accompanies the family and neighbors. It aims to be a cultural asset, and it wants to do so within a rural environment.

More information

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Architects
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Un Estudio Propio. Ana Belén López Plazas.
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Project team
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Francisco de Asís Pérez Martínez (surveyor), Leandro Morillas Romero (structure).
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Area
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110 sqm.
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Dates
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2023.
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Location
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Los Nietos Viejos, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain.
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Manufacturers
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Hiansa (facade panel and roof), various trades (premises).
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Photography
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Ana Belén López Plazas (Puerto Lumbreras, 1981) is an architect from Granada School of Architectura (ETSAGR) and holds a Master in Advanced Architectural Projects from the Madrid School of Architectura (ETSAM) relating to Landscape and Urbanism, both degrees with honors.

Between her achievements highlight that in 2020 she has been a finalist in the Curatorial Competition of the XV BEAU Spanish Biennial Architecture and Urbanism awarded by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda with Nazaret Gutiérrez Franco; in 2019 Architecture Award Region of Murcia in the category of Innovation and Dissemination for his exhibition "A 2 pasos, paseando con Tonucci" with Ana Fernando Magarzo; and in 2012 Special Prize for the best Research Work in the Certamen Arquímedes, awarded by the Ministry of Education for his research "Patrones de intimidad", a book edited by IED Madrid. In 2022 his proposal Cabañas won the UFIL Cuenca Forests 2022 Competition in the category of Public Space awarded by the City of Cuenca within the framework of the UFIL Urban Forest Innovation Lab.

Her thinking has been exhibited and presented in institutions such as Matadero (Madrid), Molinos del Río (Murcia), Pivô Art Center ( São Paulo), Eurau12 International Congress (Porto), in the blog La Ciudad Viva (Junta de Andalucía) and in the Spanish Pavilion at the XVI Venice Architecture Biennale curated by Atxu Amann.  

Her architecture solves in its own way the demands of brave clients, in small environments and always accompanying the pre-existing.
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