arqbag. Cooperativa d'arquietctura

Earth and wood cabin

The maintenance of agricultural cabins ensures the care and management of their fields and forests.

We build the base of the self-constructed cabin using rammed earth made from on-site all-in-one soil and clay, up to the level reachable with auxiliary means, and extend it in the upper layers with prefabricated timber structure.

Rural cabin located at the foot of the Montsec mountain range. The building consists of four rammed earth walls, formed with two formwork panels in length and four in height. Openings are placed at the corners to simplify the formwork process.

Resting on these four walls is a pitched roof and a wooden loft, all built with sawn timber from the Pyrenees. The combination of both materials supports bioclimatic performance, creating comfortable spaces in the loft during the winter months and on the main floor during the summer months. At the center of the cabin is a wood-burning stove, fueled by firewood sourced from the forest management of the property itself.

A square floor plan is proposed, with dimensions based on the available formwork panels of 2.70 m and 1.50 m. The load-bearing walls measure 5.40 m (2.70 m x 2) x 0.60 m, and 1.50 m corner gaps are left to reduce formwork costs.

Each opening includes installation points to allow for the attachment of service elements, while the position of a small wood-burning stove is fixed at the center from the outset. This stove heats the air and activates the thermal inertia of the earth walls.

To achieve comfort inside the cabin, approximately 1,150 kg of dry oak and holm oak firewood are needed per year—a quantity that can be sustainably obtained through forest management of the 1.4-hectare property.

Location:
Santa Maria de Meià, La Noguera
Year:
2020
M2:
36
Authors:
Arqbag
Client:
Private
Collaborators:
Coeco coop
Col·laboradores:
Coque Claret, Dani Calatayud, Mariona Alcarzaz, Andrei Mihalache, BBG estructures, recerca i rehabilitació