LANDLAB’s New Headquarters in Cantabria Progresses

Construction of LANDLAB’s new headquarters in Cantabria is steadily progressing. The project involves the renovation and extension of a former family barn, transforming it into a contemporary workspace through sustainable architecture, circularity, and energy-efficient strategies.

The intervention is guided by a clear principle: making the most of existing resources while working with the site’s climatic qualities. To achieve this, the project integrates various bioclimatic strategies, such as enhancing the thermal inertia of the walls, incorporating cross ventilation, and creating new south-facing openings to optimize solar gain and improve indoor comfort passively.

The design also emphasizes circularity in construction, reusing elements from the original structure. The old stone and brick walls, along with the existing roof tiles, are incorporated into the new building and combined with low-carbon, locally sourced natural materials such as wood. Additionally, walls made of baked clay blocks with biomass improve the building’s thermal performance.

In terms of energy efficiency, the building features a heat pump system with underfloor heating, as well as rainwater harvesting, reducing both energy consumption and environmental impact.

LANDLAB’s new headquarters will strengthen the studio’s presence in northern Spain while serving as an applied research laboratory to explore new ways of building that integrate architecture, landscape, and circular design principles.