{"id":52212,"date":"2025-12-12T09:27:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T09:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/el-estudio-de-gloria-duran-rehabilita-una-casa-en-lalt-emporda-que-vuelve-a-contar-su-historia-con-una-voz-mas-luminosa\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T15:52:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T15:52:29","slug":"the-studio-of-architect-gloria-duran-rehabilitates-a-house-in-lalt-emporda-that-once-again-tells-its-story-with-a-brighter-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/the-studio-of-architect-gloria-duran-rehabilitates-a-house-in-lalt-emporda-that-once-again-tells-its-story-with-a-brighter-voice\/","title":{"rendered":"The studio of architect Gl\u00f2ria Duran rehabilitates a house in l\u2019Alt Empord\u00e0 that once again tells its story with a brighter voice"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the historic centre of Palau-Saverdera, where narrow streets still preserve the ancient flavour of l\u2019Alt Empord\u00e0, a party-wall house comes back to life. Its history \u2014like that of so many rural homes in this area\u2014 had been shaped in two distinct layers: domestic life unfolding on the upper floor, light and luminous, and agricultural and livestock activity occupying the ground floor, a shadowed realm of storerooms and stables. Today, under the patient and rigorous gaze of architect Gl\u00f2ria Duran Torrellas and interior designer Pol Rigau<\/a>, this fragmented past finds a renewed unity.<\/p>\n\n

The project begins with a gesture of reconciliation: to unify both floors, stitch them together with light and establish a contemporary order without erasing memory. The intervention is respectful, almost reverential. The original volume remains intact; the Catalan vaults that silently supported the structure are restored; stone walls and arches once concealed beneath layers of previous alterations are carefully revealed. The house thus reclaims its primordial essence, an honest character that the architect chooses to place at the centre of the project.<\/p>\n\n

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Day area on the first floor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The social spaces are located on the first floor, accessed via the garden\u2019s external staircase. Here, the house opens up, breathes and allows itself to be inhabited generously. A glass vestibule shields the entrance from the tramontana winds before leading into a large L-shaped space that brings together the living and dining areas. The fireplace \u2014open on three sides\u2014 acts as a warm hinge between both environments. The kitchen is positioned on the entrance fa\u00e7ade, directly connected to the terrace overlooking the garden patio. The whole functions as a single continuous space, in constant dialogue with the outdoors thanks to its two terraces: one facing the access and a generous rear terrace, west-facing, offering spectacular views over the Bay of Roses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Night area on the ground floor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ground floor, naturally darker and with a single external fa\u00e7ade, is reserved for the private areas. Two bedrooms with Catalan vaults open onto the garden through porticoed porches, establishing a serene dialogue between interior and exterior. At the centre, where darkness had once been absolute, the service spaces and the new staircase are located, carefully attached to the party walls. From above, a skylight pours light into this vertical void, creating a double-height space that transforms the perception of the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n

A reading room acts as a distributor, leading to the laundry room, a bathroom and the main suite at the rear, covered by a delicate\u00a0mocador<\/em>\u00a0vault. This room receives natural light through a newly created interior patio, a small yet decisive gesture that illuminates the space and provides natural ventilation.<\/p>\n\n

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The rehabilitation brings together tradition and sustainability with the naturalness that defines the studio\u2019s work. Floors and roofs have been thermally insulated, carpentry replaced with wooden frames featuring thermal break and low-emissivity double glazing, and all lighting designed using LED technology. Climate control is resolved through aerothermal energy, reinforced by the warmth of the new fireplace. The house is also prepared for the future installation of photovoltaic panels.<\/p>\n\n\n

Within this restored home unfolds a principle that defines architecture in l\u2019Empord\u00e0 when approached with sensitivity: the balance between preservation and transformation. Every recovered element breathes the memory of the place; every contemporary gesture adds comfort, clarity and a renewed way of inhabiting. In Gl\u00f2ria Duran\u2019s hands, the house is not only renewed \u2014 it once again tells its story with a brighter voice.<\/p>\n\n\n

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