House of Giants

Room in House of Giants with a joisted ceiling and light from the far end

Located in the Valencian neighbourhood of El Cabañal, House of Giants stands as a singular work within the historic fishermen's district. Its innovation lies not in the use of cutting-edge technologies out of context, but in the profound historical update that takes place within it.

Façade of House of Giants in El Cabañal, Valencia, with balconies and timber doors
Room in House of Giants with pale stone and side light
Timber slat screen on the façade of House of Giants
Animation of light and shadow on the stone stair of House of Giants

The material strategy draws on what belongs to the place: natural stone, lime renders, timber. The ground-floor revoltón vaults are preserved and plastered. On the upper level, the original roof joists are recovered to build the new floor slab, alongside an old wall left exposed like a fragment of memory. In the courtyard, remains of the original walls coexist with new stone surrounds and a lime-and-sand render. All of it is resolved through precise junctions and without stridency.

Ceiling of salvaged joists in House of Giants with raking light
Floor plans of House of Giants
Inner courtyard of House of Giants with an upper-level walkway and a bench
Kitchen of House of Giants with white cabinets and timber joinery
  • Detail of a window and stone in House of Giants
  • Detail of the threshold and stone paving in House of Giants
Stair in House of Giants with the shadow of the ironwork on the wall

The stair is articulated as the heart of the house: a volume entirely clad in stone, almost a grotto, whose joints trace the profile of the steps and reveal the assembly of the different pieces, up to 8 cm thick. The arrangement of the pieces houses the lighting, letting fine lines of light escape between the stone. In the morning, the shadow of the façade ironwork is cast across its surfaces, and the route between levels becomes a slow experience of reflections, half-light and brightness, with a distinctive materiality.

Stone stair volume beneath the timber joists of House of Giants
Stone-clad stair, like a grotto, in House of Giants
Cross sections of House of Giants
Stone stair beneath the joisted ceiling of House of Giants
  • Stone stair in House of Giants with the shadow of the balustrade on the wall
  • Stone steps with a diagonal shadow in House of Giants
Room in House of Giants with a timber ceiling and a framed picture resting on the floor
General plan of House of Giants
General elevation of House of Giants in its street

On the façade, a new stone portico frames engraved panels and a screen of timber slats behind which a screen-printed glass appears. Here the owner, an artist by profession, inscribes a procession of giants that gives the house its name, reviving an old custom of the neighbourhood: houses whose façades were a portrait of the character of those who lived in them.

  • Façade of House of Giants with the portico, engraved panels and timber screen
  • Person on the stone stair of House of Giants
Shadow of the façade ironwork cast across a stone wall in House of Giants

(Photo)

David Zarzoso

(Press)

Leibal, House of Giants
Neo2, La Casa de los Gigantes de Iterare Arquitectos
Metalocus, Una reforma artesanal. Casa de los gigantes por Iterare arquitectos
Archisearch, Iterare arquitectos used traditional materials for House of Giant´s interior
Dezeen, Iterare Arquitectos uses traditional materials inside Valencia's House of Giants