The theorist André Corboz, known for his contributions to the critical reading of territory, proposes that the cities should be understood as a palimpsest. That is, a surface continuously rewritten, where traces of previous layers remain visible even after successive interventions. For him, the city is not a static entity, but an organism in constant transformation, where historical, functional, and symbolic layers overlap. This is why working on restoration or rehabilitation projects for historical buildings is particularly complex, requiring careful thought about the approach to be taken: should extensions and renovations seek complete coherence with the original language, or assert themselves as architectural expressions of their own time?
Spain offers particularly fertile ground for this type of reflection. With a history marked by successive dominations and distinct cultural periods—Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Christians—its cities have become true collages, where historical stratification is manifested in architecture, urban landscape, and ways of inhabiting. In recent years, a series of Spanish projects have stood out for their ability to engage with this legacy, incorporating local materials and traditional construction techniques into contemporary solutions. These projects aim to respect the character of their contexts while proposing new forms of material expression, reviving knowledge and constructive elements rooted in the material culture of the region, and also incorporating new technologies and materials.
A sensitive example of this approach is the Domus Atrio House by González Morgado Arquitectura in Mérida. Using discreet aluminum frames, the project revives and updates the patio house typology, reinterpreting local materials in a contemporary language. The overlap between tradition and contemporaneity is expressed both in the construction system and in the spatial atmosphere of the interiors.
On another scale, the Ómbu Office Building project by Foster + Partners in Madrid demonstrates how industrial heritage can be responsibly reused, and how new materials can give a new spark on it. The rehabilitation of an old warehouse, employing shading and solar protection systems, balances energy efficiency and the preservation of architectural memory, adapting the space to new programmatic demands. The same product appears in the Ciel project by Gon Architects, where the façade acts as a mediator between interior and exterior, reinterpreting the rhythms and proportions typical of Mediterranean architecture with contemporary technological support. The ability to control shading through a simple hidden roller alongside the frames provides versatility, even in frames that are uncommon by current standards.
Another emblematic case is the Rei Martí water tower, rehabilitated by the Archikubik office in Barcelona. The pre-existing structure is wrapped in a light ceramic skin from the Flexbrick system, which updates the use of traditional Catalan tiling, creating a new permeable and contextualized layer, but using the same tone as the historical structure.
In the project for the Forges Cultural Center, designed by Firm Architects, the use of cross-laminated timber reinforces the idea of continuity and structural lightness in a building that does not hide its contemporaneity, yet still establishes direct links with the scale and materiality of the surroundings through its thick walls and stone texture.
Finally, the restoration project of the Tenadas and the Ice Well (Pozo de Nieve) of the San Andrés Convent, carried out by Sánchez Gil Arquitectos, is exemplary in the use of ceramic tiles, which integrate into the ensemble with great delicacy, sobriety, and courage. The intervention is minimal, almost silent, revealing and strengthening the power of the pre-existing layers. According to the project description, " The ceramic material, in its different manifestations and uses, such as stairs, floorings, walls, roofs, water collectors, exposed ceilings, garden curbs, benches, etc. is the common thread of the present proposal."
These examples show how working with historical structures can go beyond a nostalgic or merely aesthetic reading, it is a field that demands sensitivity, technical knowledge, and ethical positioning. Rehabilitating, restoring, or expanding is a design challenge when dealing with complex pre-existences, but it is also a political and cultural gesture. By opting for local materials, vernacular construction systems, or hybrid solutions, it is possible to envision buildings anchored in the collective memory and material continuity of their places.
