El Saler Farmhouse en Valencia

The project includes the renovation of the existing building, along with the construction of new floor slabs to replace or complement the existing ones, which are in such a deteriorated condition that reasonable reinforcement is not feasible. Therefore, a new internal structure is proposed, while retaining the existing load-bearing walls, but in a way that the new structure is independent of the previous structure and foundation.

Hence, the structural intervention is divided into two parts: the rehabilitation of the structural elements to be retained and the design and calculation of the new structural elements that replace and/or complement those being retained.

The program requirements correspond to those of a single-family home. The existing construction consists of two distinct yet integrated parts: on one side, a taller and narrower volume occupying the western bay, and on the other side, a lower but larger area on the eastern side of the building. The former has a two-story bay, and the latter has three bays on a single floor but with a high, sloping gable roof. The new residence, and thus the new structure, adapts to this layout and additionally utilizes two loft spaces on the sides closest to the load-bearing walls.