{"id":59794,"date":"2026-03-19T16:11:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/un-caserio-vasco-del-siglo-xv-rehabilitado-por-el-arquitecto-ekaitz-uribe-rus-y-la-interiorista-patricia-arostegi\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T09:41:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:41:03","slug":"a-15th-century-basque-farmhouse-restored-by-architect-ekaitz-uribe-rus-and-interior-designer-patricia-arostegi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exagono.es\/en\/a-15th-century-basque-farmhouse-restored-by-architect-ekaitz-uribe-rus-and-interior-designer-patricia-arostegi\/","title":{"rendered":"A 15th-century Basque farmhouse restored by architect Ekaitz Uribe Rus and interior designer Patricia Arostegi"},"content":{"rendered":"

The intervention combines bioconstruction, material memory and a renewed way of inhabiting connected to the natural environment, transforming the former building into a family home, an independent apartment and several workspaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

The project, developed by Oreka Arkitektura<\/a> and led by architect Ekaitz Uribe Rus together with interior designer Patricia Arostegi<\/a>, approaches the complete rehabilitation of the building from a contemporary perspective deeply connected to Basque constructive tradition. Rather than a literal restoration, the intervention proposes a conscious reconstruction: a process that preserves the material memory of the farmhouse while adapting it to a new way of living.<\/p>\n\n\n

The origin of the project is also a story of return. A family moved back from Canada \u2014 she Irish, he from Bizkaia, together with their three daughters \u2014 to establish their permanent home here. Accustomed for years to living in small spaces \u2014 barely a 40-square-metre studio \u2014 they imagined this house as a place for light, play and shared time.<\/p>\n\n

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The spatial organisation of the house develops around a central element: a large longitudinal gallery that crosses the building from east to west.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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The original building was in a very deteriorated state: fragmented rooms, pronounced level differences and spaces lacking natural light. Faced with this situation, the team chose to demolish and rebuild the farmhouse while maintaining its original volume and preserving the protected historic elements. The new structure is built using a lightweight timber frame system over a renewed foundation, a solution that combines traditional construction logic with contemporary standards of precision, energy efficiency and comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach responds to the principles of bioconstruction that guide the work of Oreka Arkitektura. The selection of natural and breathable materials, attention to indoor air quality and passive thermal regulation place human wellbeing at the centre of the project. Beyond a technical label, bioconstruction here translates into an architecture that breathes with its surroundings and establishes a balanced relationship between landscape, dwelling and everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n

The construction was carried out by Egurpe, a local cooperative specialised in timber construction and the rehabilitation of historic farmhouses. Their collaboration was essential to execute the structural system with precision and coherence.<\/p>\n\n

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Burbujas<\/em>\u00a0by Gabriela Sagarminaga, made from natural fibres.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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One of the most significant gestures of the project is the recovery of an original oak beam more than five metres long. The piece, belonging to the primitive structure of the farmhouse, was reintegrated into the new construction after a complex manual operation carried out by the building team. Its presence introduces a tangible continuity between past and present, becoming both a structural and symbolic element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spatial organisation of the house develops around a central feature: a large longitudinal gallery that crosses the building from east to west. This intermediate space \u2014 exterior yet protected \u2014 functions as the true heart of the house. Cool during the summer and sheltered from rain in winter, its generous scale allows it to become a meeting place, an informal dining area or a space for prolonged stays. A continuous bench rests against the original stone wall, accompanied by vegetation and ceramic pieces, while larch wood clads the gallery, introducing a contemporary counterpoint that dialogues with the historic stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From this gallery, access is provided both to the main dwelling and to auxiliary spaces \u2014 storage areas, workshop and a small support kitchen for outdoor gatherings \u2014 while the apartment intended for rental has its own independent access through the traditional aterpe<\/em> at the front of the farmhouse. This organisation allows each programme to function autonomously without altering the unity of the whole.<\/p>\n\n\n

The interior is organised according to orientation and light. Work and rest areas are placed to the north, receiving a calm and constant illumination with distant views towards the sea. The day areas open to the south and east, connecting with the oak woodland, fruit trees and outdoor play areas that surround the house within a plot of more than ten thousand square metres.<\/p>\n\n

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Original oak beam more than five metres long.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Torimbia<\/em>, engraving by Juan Escudero.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The interior design is conceived through a functional minimalism where warmth comes not from furniture but from materiality itself. Continuous Mortex flooring, natural oak carpentry, clay walls that regulate humidity passively and ecological paints create a serene and healthy atmosphere. Even in large and deliberately uncluttered spaces, the interior never feels cold: the texture of the materials and the presence of recovered original elements keep the memory of the place alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kitchen, conceived as the centre of domestic life, is organised around an island with a natural stone countertop and custom-made oak veneer cabinetry. The design avoids superfluous elements and focuses on constructive precision and everyday use. In the living area, the absence of a conventional sofa leaves room for reading chairs oriented towards the landscape and a flexible area related to music, reflecting a more open and evolving way of inhabiting the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art appears sparingly yet meaningfully. In the main space, a large-scale piece by Gabriela Sagarminaga made from natural fibres introduces texture and presence without disturbing the material calm of the interior. In the study, an engraving by Juan Escudero titled Torimbia establishes a direct dialogue with the seascape visible through the windows, so that the represented sea and the real one coexist within the same visual plane.<\/p>\n\n\n

The intervention at Goikotorre does not aim to impose a new image upon the farmhouse, but rather to accompany its transformation with precision and respect. Here, architecture acts as a mediator between memory and present, between landscape and domestic life. More than reconstructing a historic building, the project also reconstructs a way of inhabiting the territory.<\/p>\n\n

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Project<\/strong>: Goikotorre.
Type of intervention<\/strong>: Comprehensive farmhouse rehabilitation
Location<\/strong>: Armintza (Bizkaia).
Completed<\/strong>: 2025.
Total area<\/strong>: 517 m\u00b2.
\u2028Architecture<\/strong>: Oreka Bioarkitektura<\/a>.
Lead architect<\/strong>: Ekaitz Uribe Rus.
Interior design and project management<\/strong>: Patricia Arostegi<\/a>.
Construction<\/strong>: Egurpe Construcci\u00f3n en madera<\/a>.
Photography<\/strong>: Erlantz Biderbost<\/a>.
Styling<\/strong>: In\u00e9s Uribarren<\/a>.
Art<\/strong>: Sagarminaga Atelier<\/a>. Juan Escudero<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ekaitz Uribe Rus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

El arquitecto vasco Ekaitz Uribe Rus es el fundador y director de Oreka Bioarkitektura<\/a>, un estudio especializado en arquitectura sostenible, rehabilitaci\u00f3n y bioconstrucci\u00f3n que desarrolla principalmente su actividad en el Pa\u00eds Vasco y en el norte de la pen\u00ednsula ib\u00e9rica. Desde sus inicios, la pr\u00e1ctica del estudio ha estado guiada por una profunda reflexi\u00f3n sobre la relaci\u00f3n entre arquitectura, territorio y salud, explorando formas de construir que respondan de manera responsable tanto al entorno natural como a las formas contempor\u00e1neas de habitar.<\/p>\n\n\n

El nombre del estudio \u2014Oreka, que en euskera significa equilibrio\u2014 refleja el fundamento conceptual de su trabajo. Para Uribe Rus, la arquitectura surge de un delicado equilibrio entre el paisaje, la tradici\u00f3n constructiva, los recursos materiales, la eficiencia energ\u00e9tica y el bienestar de las personas que habitan los espacios. Desde esta perspectiva, Oreka Bioarkitektura desarrolla proyectos que buscan integrar la arquitectura de manera natural en su contexto f\u00edsico, cultural y social. <\/p>\n\n

Con el paso de los a\u00f1os, Ekaitz Uribe Rus se ha consolidado como una de las voces destacadas de la bioconstrucci\u00f3n en el Pa\u00eds Vasco. Esta disciplina entiende la arquitectura como un sistema vivo en el que los materiales, la energ\u00eda y el ambiente interior interact\u00faan con el paisaje que lo rodea. En su pr\u00e1ctica profesional, la bioconstrucci\u00f3n no se plantea como una etiqueta t\u00e9cnica ni como una tendencia pasajera, sino como una forma de proyectar que sit\u00faa en el centro la salud de las personas, la durabilidad de los edificios y la responsabilidad ambiental.
Ver biograf\u00eda completa<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Patricia Arostegi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Patricia Arostegui es interiorista y gestora de proyectos especializada en la rehabilitaci\u00f3n de caser\u00edos y viviendas situadas en entornos rurales. Su trabajo se centra en acompa\u00f1ar procesos de transformaci\u00f3n dom\u00e9stica complejos, en los que arquitectura, interiorismo y vida cotidiana encontruentran un equilibrio sereno y duradero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antes de dedicarse al dise\u00f1o de espacios, Arostegui desarroll\u00f3 durante m\u00e1s de quince a\u00f1os su carrera profesional en la industria internacional de la moda y el lujo, trabajando entre Londres y \u00c1msterdam para compa\u00f1\u00edas como Burberry. Esta experiencia le proporcion\u00f3 una s\u00f3lida formaci\u00f3n en creatividad, organizaci\u00f3n y gesti\u00f3n de equipos en contextos exigentes, habilidades que posteriormente traslad\u00f3 al \u00e1mbito de la arquitectura y la rehabilitaci\u00f3n.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actualmente dirige proyectos de reforma y rehabilitaci\u00f3n desde una visi\u00f3n integral que combina dise\u00f1o interior, coordinaci\u00f3n de obra y acompa\u00f1amiento al cliente. Su pr\u00e1ctica se desarrolla en estrecha colaboraci\u00f3n con el estudio Oreka Bioarkitektura, liderado por el arquitecto Ekaitz Uribe Rus, con quien comparte una sensibilidad com\u00fan hacia la bioconstrucci\u00f3n y el respeto por el paisaje. Esta colaboraci\u00f3n permite abordar los proyectos desde una perspectiva coherente, en la que arquitectura e interiorismo se desarrollan como partes de un mismo proceso.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gran parte de su trabajo se orienta a personas y familias que deciden trasladarse del entorno urbano al rural, ayud\u00e1ndoles a redefinir su manera de habitar y su relaci\u00f3n con el territorio. En este contexto, Arostegui apuesta por un acompa\u00f1amiento cercano y profundamente personalizado, trabajando simult\u00e1neamente en un n\u00famero limitado de proyectos para garantizar una atenci\u00f3n constante.  <\/p>\n\n\n

Su metodolog\u00eda se apoya en equipos reducidos de profesionales, en una gesti\u00f3n transparente de los procesos y en un control econ\u00f3mico riguroso de las obras. M\u00e1s all\u00e1 del resultado formal, su objetivo es convertir lo que a menudo se percibe como una experiencia compleja o estresante en un proceso claro, compartido y sereno, en el que los clientes se sientan implicados y acompa\u00f1ados en cada decisi\u00f3n. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n

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Oreka Bioarkitektura
<\/strong>Mundaiz 8-1\u00ba 4-4
20012 Donostia
\u200e+34 943 96 73 55
info@oreka.como.es
orekabioarkitektura.eus<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Patricia Arostegi
<\/strong>+34 688 853 796
@patricia_arostegi<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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