The Casa Naturale renovated by Ideo Arquitectura in the village of Ses Salines, on the island of Majorca, is so named because it has been rethought through a paradigm shift: the architects do not only consider form and function, the main architectural issues faced in the modern era, but pay special attention to the materials used, the ecological footprint and the complete life cycle of the construction.
They reuse and recycle existing rubble, floors, tiles and doors, use local materials and techniques, and adopt the principles of bio-architecture: these are the different strategies adopted by the Spanish practice. Central to the renovation is the use of hemp, a unique non-local material with excellent thermal, acoustic and hygrothermal regulation properties. The material was used in the roofs, perimeter and partition walls.
Only the facades in a poor state of conservation have been renovated, while for the rest of the building the design choice is to make the most of existing materials and construction techniques, such as blocks of marés, a local sandstone.