mesura transforms the courtyard garden of a spanish medieval castle in catalonia

the spanish town of peratallada in catalonia gets its name from the phrase ‘pedra tallada,’ meaning carved stone. built around a medieval castle, the town is among the most famous fortified villages in the country. the castle, transformed by its owners into a private holiday residence, is made up of several buildings sharing a common courtyard which now includes a garden, terrace and pool. studio mesura, based out of barcelona, has been commissioned with the challenge of transforming the landscape of the estate with a design that would pay respect to the heritage of the site. the mesura peratallada castle garden balances the picturesque medieval stonework with a crisp, contemporary intervention.

images by salva lópez

the design of the mesura peratallada castle garden delineates the imposing structures and the standing remains of the castle, while responding to the site’s complex topography. since the villa’s entrance is sunken two meters below street level, a layout of three terraces was introduced to connect the two, comprising an outdoor dining space, seating areas and a pool.

turkish stone that was found on site was custom-cut and rearranged in irregular interlocking geometric patterns, adding a sense of variety on all three horizontal layers. the walls and other vertical elements were dressed in concrete paired with a range of wood finishes. the minimal rectangular concrete pool –reminiscent of the clean-lined, turquoise california pools evisioned by david hockney — reflects the sky and the surrounding buildings. meanwhile, a beautiful centenary acacia tree stands tall at the residence’s rear, witnessing this delicate piece of landscape architecture that hopes to leave a long-lasting mark on this quaint, yet historical village.