alberto foyo architect, pc.

residential 01

Cocina cottage
Picos de Europa, Asturias, Spain
1997-1998

The remains of a stone shelter probably built by local shepherds form the core of this small cottage up high in the remote mountains of the Picos de Europa. It is located at the top of a steep slope that faces down onto a majestic valley where wild horses can still be seen. We used the ruin as a patio entrance to the cottage. Three stonewalls stem from it in a radial way. These walls perform several tasks: they anchor the living spaces to the site, they frame and orient the cottage towards the views, they let the sun illuminate them as it travels from east to west permeating the interior spaces with continuous changes of color and texture, and they act as windscreens.