In northwestern Spain, between Galicia and Bilbao, Gijón arrives along the Asturian coast. Here the sea breeze meets Roman ruins. The suburban area leans more rural than residential, composed of agricultural sheds and casa mariñanas. HANGHAR uses these local vernaculars—namely, its gabled roof and simple, boxy volume—for a new residence, Casa Guadalupe. While volumetrically grounded in the area’s vernaculars, its fabrication and interiors belie modern construction.
The 394-square-foot home (120-square-meter) home was fully fabricated in a workshop. Semi-trailers transported parts of the home that were then assembled on site. The main structure came together in less than 48 hours.
Efficient, common materials were chosen to help work with the prefabrication method. Lightweight steel structures the home, clad with Swisspearl fiber cement panels and topped with a corrugated metal roof. The building rests on a raised system of piers, enabling the building to tread more lightly on the land as well as work with the irregular topography.
Inside, millwork offers a warm departure from the facade. Dark Sapeli wood defines the kitchen, bathroom, and a seating area. The floor-to-ceiling millwork integrates appliances, sinks, and storage, accentuating the pitch of the roof.
Placed alongside cool-toned Forbo vinyl flooring and white walls, the interior reflects the contrast of natural and industrial elements, a dichotomy that permeates the project as a whole.
Furnishings also run modern. The kitchen opens up into a dining room set with 611 chairs by Alvar Aalto for Artek, which further surrounds the KAARI table, designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. A Charles & Ray Eames chair is given a quirky companion in the Castiglioni brothers’ linear red floor lamp.
In the living room, white furnishings offer a spare, reflective space. The Cardea sofa by Sklum is paired with a wooden Guéridon table by Jean Prouvé for Vitra. The focus lies outward in the view from the sliding glass doors.
With Casa Guadalupe, the firm proposes a different way of understanding prefabricated housing. In place of a standardized product, the firm utilizes the method as a flexible system, capable of producing architecture with character. Responding to its town and site with sleek, slightly surreal interiors (not uncommon for a HANGHAR project), Casa Guadalupe adopts an industrial system for rural typologies and beyond.
