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Alternative Building Methods in Spain
Since the 15th Century in Southern Spain, Moorish building practices consisting mainly of bricks and mortar, have remained practically unchanged.
During the short winter months, wood burners were the main source of heating, while in the summer months windows and doors where kept open to allow for cooling and air circulation. This situation is more or less the same in Spain today, with very few houses offering central heating, especially the older traditional ones.
With climate changes bringing to the region longer winter months and hotter summer month, homes are still built suitable only for summer months and in the winter they can be very cold and damp.
Why use an alternative building method?
Good friend, and original Director of Citrus Iberia, Luis - of Spanish origin, and who had lived in the UK for 10 years, decided to return to Spain in 2002 and settled down in the Jalon Valley, Costa Blanca.
As the extreme temperatures of summer (which only could be made comfortable by continuously running expensive air conditioning) cooled, and the rains started to bucket down, Luis started to appreciate that the property he purchased was not built to the high standard its price indicated should be, or what he had been used to in the UK. Initially he notice that rising damp started to appear in rooms, external crack in walls and terraces allowed for water penetration, and despite constantly changing washers, taps kept leaking, and toilet cisterns dripped continually.
As November approached, the villa with its traditional thick walls designed to keep the heat out, became cold and damp. The only way to keep it semi liveable was with electric heaters or butane gas heaters which further aggravated the damp problem by creating more condensation and resulting in black mould forming on the walls.
Clothes and soft furnishings are also likely to suffer during the winter months, in wardrobes, underbuilds, or even stored under the bed! All these problems are typical in Spain, rather than an exception to the norm. I have lived in a brand new villa, originally on the market for 750,000 euros, and STILL had these problems, which are caused by non-insulated traditional build methods.
After the uncomfortable experience of his first year back in Spain, Luis decided that it was time to introduce modern building practices to Spain and started researching alternative methods of construction, similar to those used widely in other parts of the world with similar weather characteristics to Spain.
After extensive research, we found two alternative building methods which are commonly used in other parts of the world and far more practical - Timber Framed Building and ICF (insulated Concrete Forms) homes. Both offer major advantages such as faster building and therefore cheaper to construct, eco friendly, insulated so energy efficient - achieving up to 80% savings on heating and cooling costs, noise reduction - very convenient in Spain, and strength.
In 2003, both methods were widely unaccepted by the Spanish architects who preferred to produce drawings that were 'tried and tested' and accepted by the town hall. However in recent years things have changed and there are now a number of both timber frame and ICF buildings being built in various areas of Spain. Alternative Building methods have finally arrived in Spain and for anyone thinking of constructing their own property, either method is available in a variety of styles and designs.