Peratallada Castle by Studio Mesura

Peratallada, which literally means "carved stone", is a heritage village in the region of Baix Empord of Catalonia in Spain. In the village that preserves a clear vestige of its medieval past in every street, lies the Peratallada Castle. The Peratallada Castle, an ensemble of heritage buildings with a common courtyard is now a luxury resort and a national heritage building for its historic value. Ensconced within these stunning edifices lies a beautiful patio that dates back to 10th Century A.D. In this context, Studio Mesura was commissioned to build a garden with a terrace for a timid and camouflaged holiday resort, a quiet sanctuary for the body and soul.

The resulting intervention respects the history of the place, making use of local materials, yet the minimalism adds a touch of modernity to it. The landscape consists of terraces at different levels, combined with vertical concrete wooden-textured walls and a pool at the centre of it. The terraces are made in Turkish white travertine marble, which were salvaged from a project in Girona, Catalonia. The stone pavement is composed of pieces with varying widths owing to its reuse. These pieces were then arranged in different compositions, hence breaking a recurring pattern. The idea of terraces with three different platforms was introduced in response to a 2m drop from the plinth to the street. The terrace is dotted with stone benches made with the same material. A massive 100-year-old acacia tree at the centre is a natural shade which dominates space with its vertical presence, and becomes the centre of the landscape.

The existing water tank that was turnedinto a pool is more of a sensorial intervention than a visual one. The sound of constantly moving water, brought on by water overflowing over a concrete wall adds to the calm aesthetic. The pool is finished in colourless micro cement that preserves the traces of the medieval past and the surrounding nature in its reflection. A garden aiming to be sustainable, the entire project is conceived to collect rainwater into medieval well dug out in the natural stone soil, more than 9 meters above ground level. This water is used for gardening.

Technical Information Location: Plaza Del Castillo, Peratallada. Municipality: Forallac Region: Baix Empordà Destination of use: Private pool Description: Garden and pool Owner: Robert Ferrer-Cajigal Year of construction: November 2015 Dimensions: 10.8 m x 4.9 m Depth: 1.7 m

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