lucas y hernández–gil revives centuries-old spanish mansion

lucas y hernández–gil revives decaying palace in el puerto, spain

Architecture studio Lucas y Hernández–Gil, together with design studio Kresta Design, breathes new life into CASAPUERTO, a crumbling historic home in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain, once known as the city of 100 palaces. The renovation, still ongoing, reimagines the 17th–19th century mansion as a contemporary family home. Guided by a process they describe as architectural ‘acupuncture,’ the team restores the building in parts rather than all at once, focusing interventions where the structure is most fragile and leaving other areas almost untouched. The result is a subtle, time-rich collage of original textures and contemporary touches, where palatial ruins and insertions coexist.

The insertion of a pool, conceived as a contemporary therme within the heart of the house, anchors the project. Accessed through a blue-and-yellow tiled changing room that features a semicircular bench, the pool gives a cool response to the summer heat while remaining usable year-round. From here, the thresholds of the home unfold in a series of zones marked by glimmering blue tiles that evoke the nearby sea.

images courtesy of Lucas y Hernández–Gil

CASAPUERTO interventions are handled like large-scale furniture

Originally discovered by an Austrian couple during a trip to nearby Cádiz, the decaying residence quickly captured their imagination. Spanning three levels and organized around two internal courtyards, the building was magnificent and irregular in its preservation. The architectural duo of Lucas y Hernández–Gil and their team approaches CASAPUERTO as a series of minimal, precise operations. Each move restores dignity to the existing structure while introducing new layers.

The architects treat new interventions like large-scale furniture. Bedrooms, bathrooms, and even the two-level kitchen are added in forms that float within the original rooms, detached from the ceilings and preserving the historical envelope. This approach preserves the generous spatial rhythm of the house while accommodating contemporary needs.

With its first phase now complete, the project will continue with the transformation of the upper floor into an artist’s residence. As the house continues to evolve, it does so by weaving new life into the spaces between.

the renovation, still ongoing, reimagines the 17th–19th century mansion as a contemporary family home