NEW WAYS OF LIVING IN RURAL AREAS

The interior of the Iberian Peninsula has undergone a process of self-emptying during the past decades by which main cities have gradually absorbed a former rural population. The by-product of this phenomenon has been a large number of country ghost towns which are now up for grabs. In an unexpected turn of events, the Covid 19 pandemic has opened the door to a new society keen on returning to the safety of less-populated rural areas. High connectivity and home working make the arcadian dream seem within reach for a number of middle-class independent professionals longing for the quality of life congested cities can no longer offer without giving up on comfort. But restoring to its former appearance the ruined remnants of a village is pointless. The new inhabitants are not necessarily long term settlers but rather a new sort of by-passers that may choose to stay for shorter periods of time in a rotation process. Since the original houses could no longer satisfy the incoming population and a complete renovation would most likely be very costly, we proposed to place a series of small new towers within the ruins of the former village. The past and the future will thus coexist without interfering with each other, keeping the memory of the place and hosting a new type of inhabitant at the same time.