Recovering a thatched earthen hut in the lagoon of Valencia

Abstract The Valencia Lagoon has been home to vernacular constructions built with the mud and fibres available in these wetlands since ancient times. They are probably the last evolved vestiges of the primitive prehistoric huts that populated this place and the area surrounding the city of Valencia. It is estimated that in the mid-19th century, several tens of thousands of these huts remained. Fires, arson, new building regulations that prohibited new huts or even prevented their repair, the association with the poverty of yesteryear, and a misunderstood concept of progress reduced this number to the 50 huts that are still standing. The traditional wisdom reflected in the design, which incorporates highly effective cross ventilation that is optimal in both summer and winter weather, is disappearing, although in many ways, it could be an example offering lessons to contemporary architecture. This article presents the conservation and adaptive reuse of an 18th-century thatched earthen hut in a state of imminent collapse, from its structural and material degradation to the recovery and reinterpretation of the traditional materials and techniques that have allowed for it to be assigned a public function as the headquarters of an association. This adaptive reuse has shown that it is possible to comply with current regulations, including fire regulations, in a building with a thatched roof and, at the same time, respect its charm and traditional character.