CASA DE CÓS

RENOVATION OF A HOUSE BETWEEN PARTY WALLS
ARENYS DE MUNT, BARCELONA

2022/2023 

Cases de cós are a type of popular architecture in the Maresme region from the industrialization period. Their name comes from the Latin word cursum, which means "a narrow and elongated piece of land to build a house." Their characteristic width was determined based on the length of wooden beams used to ensure proper structural strength in the building, thus designating the minimum span and width of the house. Traditionally, cases de cós were linearly arranged along the street and typically had one or two stories, with a facade facing the street and another facing a modest courtyard or backyard.

The intervention aims to recover the original morphology of the house and restore its initial nature to the space, which was lost and fragmented over the years due to various previous uses. The project engages in an archaeological exercise that involves the recovery of pre-existing features, such as the rear courtyard, which had been blurred by the construction of auxiliary volumes previously used by an adjacent factory.

Photography: hue studio