Traditional Architecture – Hórreos and Espigueiros

There’s an increased awareness of architectural heritage in Spain and Portugal. Although it is part of Europe, there are so many interesting and atypical architectural objects that one cannot help but be inspired.

The first predecessors of these wonderful structures were built thousands of years ago. Basically, when people transcended from foraging to agriculture, and were faced with the issue of protecting their harvest from pests.

In Spain, the granaries for storing corn are mostly built of wood or a combination of wood and stone. They’re called hórreos, and are still used in Asturias and Galicia. In Portugal, they’re predominantly built from stone and are called espigueiros. Similar designs mainly built as log structures are also known in Norway (called stabbur) and Sweden (härbre).

Although the design and building method is different across these four locations, there are some common features like, for example, the “capitals” that divide the piles and the floor of the granaries. It’s done to prevent the rodents from making their way up. Even if they can scale the pile, the “capitals” won’t let them pass.

What lesson can the hórreos and espigueiros teach us today? Well, firstly it’s about preserving our architectural heritage. Secondly, it’s building structures over the ground. There are many places that we can use the ancient lore. Piles can help us build on hillsides, on dodgy ground, in wet places, regions affected by earthquakes and so on. In addition, it’s also a great way to save money off your foundation expenses.

Pics by Lohen11 and Lmbuga (via creative commons).