KOSMOS Transforms Mallorcan Townhouse With Old Materials
KOSMOS Architects and Blanca Gardelegui renovate a historic Banyalbufar townhouse in Mallorca, Spain, turning leftover materials into a family home.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- KOSMOS Architects and Blanca Gardelegui renovated a Banyalbufar home
- Repurposed existing elements and leftover local construction materials
- Addressed difficult material transport on steep, narrow hillside terrain
- Transformed broken tiles and manhole covers into unique interior features
On the steep hillside of Banyalbufar, overlooking the Mediterranean in Mallorca's Serra de Tramuntana, KOSMOS Architects and Blanca Gardelegui have transformed a traditional village townhouse into a family home named Amor de la Isla. The project turns the geographic limitations of the remote Spanish site into its central design strategy by utilizing what the house and local storage already contained.
Because the village features houses climbing between mountains and sea via narrow pedestrian routes and stairs, conventional material transport is exceptionally demanding. Rather than fighting this logistics challenge, the team chose to repair existing building elements and give discarded materials a second life, resulting in a practical approach with a distinct character.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Adaptive reuse in remote and challenging locations like the rocky slopes of Mallorca highlights a growing architectural trend toward sustainability and resourcefulness. By utilizing local scrap and existing structures, architects can bypass heavy transport emissions while preserving the unique historical vernacular of Mediterranean villages.
The transformation focuses heavily on meticulous craftsmanship and recontextualization. Broken ceramic floor tiles were cut and recomposed into a large terrazzo surface, while an existing timber door was halved to function as a folding door for compact spaces. Details throughout the interior showcase inventive reuse:
- Oil funnels repurposed as hanging lamps
- Ceramic roof tiles converted into lampshades
- A discarded cast-iron manhole cover serving as a stove base
- Rebar caps utilized as unique door handles
- Traditional Mediterranean metal mesh curtains screening kitchen storage
"The practical approach gives the finished house a character that could not have been achieved through a conventional renovation."
KOSMOS Architects
Among the few new exterior additions is a pulley system attached to the facade, accompanied by a spherical light. Designed to haul construction supplies up the vertically arranged house where hand-carrying is difficult, the mechanism doubles as a glowing nighttime landmark visible from the village and sea.
Source: designboom
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