Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

An Old Brick House in Spain Becomes a Light-Filled Family Home

An Old Brick House in Spain Becomes a Light-Filled Family Home

The renovation by miniArquitectura keeps the home’s charm intact, but creates opened-up spaces with a material palette to match.

After purchasing a Valencian orchard house-known regionally as a barraca-a young family contacted local architecture firm miniArquitectura to turn it into their dream home. As it was, the structure, which is situated on a street lined with pine trees in the town of Godella, had a number of charming features. But the interiors, and particularly the bedrooms, were quite dark.



The brief was to give it an update to accommodate modern family living, and to introduce a lofted study area that respected the character of the original home.

"Thus began our challenge to achieve maximum brightness, open spaces, and a large work area with natural light and ventilation, all while maintaining the original structure and distribution of the house," says architect Yoana Ibáñez.



The original home reflected regional vernacular: a symmetrical structure with a wide door at the entrance that led to a central hallway; bedrooms flanking either side; and a living space with a fireplace and a kitchen at the rear. There was also a porch space and garden at the back.



Since being built, a previous owner had added an extension to create an internal courtyard that separated the kitchen and dining room from the rest of the home. However, it had been carried out with low-quality materials, and had little architectural merit.



Responding to the client’s brief, the architects emphasized the central hallway by introducing more light and ventilation. They also took advantage of extra space under the roof by creating a lofted area that can be reached via a timber stair.



At the top of the stair is now an impressive hall with a double-height ceiling that forms the backbone of the house. At the rear of the ground floor, the kitchen opens out to the home’s public spaces, the dining room and a garden.



The previous extension was demolished and a new one was built, allowing the dining room and kitchen to be reconnected with the home. This new extension features a sloping roof, and clerestories and arched windows that bring in natural light and views of surrounding pine trees. Throughout, the windows feature white lacquered aluminum frames that evoke the old wooden ones. "I like that both the sky and the green of the exterior are present at all times inside the house," says Ibáñez.



Many of the materials from the original home were reused in the renovation, and the new elements are inspired by the quality and nature of the traditional materiality-think iron railings and structures, lime mortar, clay floors, and pine timber joists. The original floor tiles were removed to install underfloor heating before being polished and reused in the main living area. The home’s solid structure was left exposed. "We were seduced by their appearance and their constructive romanticism made us seek to preserve these noble materials," explains Ibáñez.



By mixing the semi-industrial structural elements-such as brick, timber boards, and white lacquered aluminum-with more classic finishes, the home is imbued with a welcoming and familiar atmosphere. There is a similar sensitivity in the relationship between the existing volumes and the extension, which uses the same materiality and language. For example, the old brick party wall has been extended, and the new ceiling features exposed joists that echo those of the original home.



Floor plan of Traditional House in Valencia.



Floor plan of Traditional House in Valencia.




Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
×