RAINWATER harvesting at home is something we should all be considering, given the precipitation Andalucia has seen over the past couple of years.
Andalucia’s best eco aware architects are now building deposit-cisterns to collect water from gutters, so it can then be used for irrigation, in all their new builds.
But, as EcoVida International architect John Wolfendale explains, the challenge extends to saving as much water as possible during the building process itself.
“We’re using dry construction technologies wherever possible, such as plasterboard walls, which minimise the need for water, sand and cement.”
For external walls, EcoVida use gabions – hollow metal cylinders with natural stones inside – that do not need water or mortars, and look beautiful as vegetation easily grows over them.
Their latest example of homes built to these exacting standards is Cortijo de Morales, near Motril, in Granada province.
The owner, a private cancer research charity, bought the 716m2 site and carried out work on the 346m2 ruin as an investment.
The original building, which hadn’t been used for years, has been converted into four small apartments, which will be rented out to private individuals.
The building, accessed via a network of rural roads, has managed to incorporate modern technologies while remaining sympathetic to the original structure.
Described as a ‘rural property of relevant ethnographic value’ in the local Urban Regulations, retention of many of the original features has been an integral part of the restoration.
Traditional building materials such as wooden beams and joists, walls with lime mortar coating and hand-made bricks have all been retained.
Some of these features can be found in the restored olive press tower, which has been reinforced and brought back to its former glory.
But at the centre of the restoration effort has been the need to update the property to meet the energy saving and sustainability needs of the 21st Century.
The apartments now benefit from a high level of thermal insulation that exceeds requirements, allowing for reduced energy consumption with separate deposits and water heaters for each apartment, further boost the green credentials of Cortijo de Morales.
The farm courtyard, around which the apartments are placed, uses what is known as filtering pavement – allowing for the partial recovery of rain on the ground.
The use of solar energy to heat water used in the apartments, and dry masonry on exterior walls to reduce water usage have further helped boost the eco-friendly development.
New materials including a zinc sheet coated roof and windows incorporating anodised aluminium have further ensured a touch of modernity, in what could become a blue print for further restoration projects throughout Spain.
