A new approach to prefabricated housing, HANGHAR’s industrialised construction has individual flair amid the northern Spanish landscape.
In a place more rural than residential, a single-family home, Casa Gudalupe, was built in a workshop, transported by semi-trailers and constructed on site in 48 hours. Owners and architects in their own right, Guadalupe Babio and Nico Ayoub, collaborated with architecture studio HANGHAR to shape the home around a simple, instinctive moment: “Before construction began, Guadalupe’s mother pointed to the place where she imagined putting a table to sit with friends.” Eduardo Mediero, architect and founder of HANGHAR, says, “That gesture grounded the project in everyday life rather than abstract form-making.”
With this image in mind, HANGHAR considered how people would gather and how the home would sit atop the land. Using industrialised construction techniques, the team fabricated the house in a workshop, a method chosen for its controlled, streamlined and predictable process. “Decisions had to be resolved early, with little margin for improvisation once production began.” Mediero notes. This close alignment between design intent and manufacturing “demanded discipline, but the result was a building assembled with exceptional speed and accuracy,” all while minimising disruption to the surrounding land.
Forbo vinyl flooring runs throughout, providing a durable base, while cabinetry in Sapelli wood by Finsa introduces warmth and depth.
In the living room, Eames lounge chair by Ray and Charles Eames are paired with the Artemide Tizio lamp by Richard Sapper. The Cardea sofa by Sklum sits beside the round Guéridon table by Jean Prouvé, with the Ariette lamp by Tobia Scarpa casting a soft glow.
Traditional Spanish architecture, like agricultural sheds and the casa mariñana, informed the home’s typology. These references were interpreted rather than directly replicated, such as their elongated proportions that shaped the home’s composition while paying homage to the culture. With the ground rugged and irregular, the intention was for the home to touch the land as gently as possible. It was raised on pillars to combat this and “subtly evoke the presence of a modern hórreo,” Mediero says.
The lightweight steel structure is resilient, dissolving into the grey sky beyond and contrasted by rich sapelli wood cabinetry inside. Here, “timber joinery and carefully selected furnishings introduce warmth and tactility, ensuring the interior feels welcoming rather than austere,” Mediero explains. Art is woven subtly throughout, while furniture from labels such as LOEHR and Artek reinforces a considered design approach, elevating each room while ensuring a sense of intimacy and ease is felt.
With precision and careful thought, Casa Guadalupe is an accessible retreat that references the sense of gathering Guadalupe’s mum hoped for. Its relationship to the landscape is unforced and embodies the flexibility of architecture, a testament to HANGHAR’s artistry and ability to think beyond conventions of industrial design. “The aim was not nostalgia, but continuity,” Mediero reflects, “an architecture that feels aligned with its setting through attitude and logic.”
In the dining area, Artek 611 chairs by Alvar Aalto gather around the Kaari table by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, lit by the Paper shade pendant by HAY and Flos Luminator floor lamp. Amapola (maquette) and Escultura Ligera C by Rafa Munarriz feature on the shelving and wall.
In the bedroom, the Artemide Tolomeo wall lamp by Michele De Lucchi sits beneath Mecano Cardenal by Rafa Munarriz.
Fibre-cement panels were selected for their resilience in Asturias’ humid climate and restrained presence. The corrugated metal roof and Tramex elements reinforce the home’s industrial character while echoing nearby rural structures.
The home’s façade is clad in Swisspearl fibre-cement panels and metal mini-wave sheet roofing, forming a lightweight envelope. “The lightweight steel structure supported prefabrication and reduced the need for intrusive foundations,” Mediero says.
