Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura

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Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura

Information

  • Project Name: Can Freixes House
  • Practice: Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
  • Products: Hansgrohe , Rajoleria Llensa , Grifería Rovira , Villeroy & Boch
  • Completion year: 2021
  • Gross Built up Area: 275 sqm
  • Project Location: Mont-ras
  • Country: Spain
  • Interior + Furniture: Josep Curanta
  • Photo Credits: Aitor Estévez
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Excerpt: Can Freixes House, designed by Pepe Gascón Arquitectura, has a logical yet improvised plan that followed a tailor-made plan based on the requirements of the inhabitants, so that each masia now has its own character and personality. Therefore, the first starting point was to recover the essence of the masia, conserving and enhancing the few original elements. Reclaimed elements and furniture appear throughout the project, reinforcing the identity of the masia, in a setting of ochre colours and rough textures and materials.

Project Description

[Text as submitted by architect] A masia is a rural building generally isolated and linked to family and/or livestock farms. They have been widespread across eastern Spain and the South of France for many centuries.

Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Aitor Estévez

The layout and design of each of these farmhouses was logical – yet involved a certain level of improvisation – and followed a tailor-made plan based on the inhabitants’ requirements, so each masia now has its own character and personality.

Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Aitor Estévez

In terms of construction, the widespread use of stone and ceramics stood out. In most masias, a barrel-vault could be found on the ground floors (as in this case) to protect the wooden beams from damage caused by damp in the stables.

Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Aitor Estévez
Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Aitor Estévez

This project is located in the heart of the Baix Empordà region, surrounded by fields used for dry farming. The farmhouse shares a wall with another larger one, which once formed a single building. It underwent an extension in the 1980s that was far from traditional and distorted its image. 

Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Aitor Estévez

Therefore, the first starting point was to recover the essence of the masia, conserving and enhancing the few original elements (mainly found on the ground floor) while also improving the extension’s appearance as much as possible, to make it more representative of the style we are working with. 

Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Aitor Estévez

To achieve this, the ground floor level has been lowered and opened up to the land to the rear, the barrel vault has been filled in, the vaulted ceilings have been plastered – after breaking the ceramic vaults which make up the floor slabs – the impact of the use of grey-coloured stone has been minimised as it is not typical of the area, new exterior wall openings have been created, maintaining a certain vertical style, and an English-style courtyard has been created on the street-facing side, etc. 

Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Aitor Estévez
Can Freixes House | Pepe Gascón Arquitectura
© Aitor Estévez

Reclaimed elements such as stone jambs and lintels, handmade ceramic tiles, doors, washbasins, sinks, fences, lanterns, fountains and furniture appear throughout the project, reinforcing the identity of the masia, in a setting of ochre colours and rough textures and materials.

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