A Compact Rural Retreat Inspired by Thoreau’s Walden Philosophy.

In a serene meadow on the outskirts of a small village in Sierra de Gredos, a humble 40m² cabin stands as a clever reinterpretation of local agricultural architecture. Completed in December 2023, Prado Toro by Madrid-based Extrarradio Estudio offers a study in compact living.

The cabin draws inspiration from the region’s traditional farm structures—those modest, low-height buildings used for storing tools and housing livestock. But rather than expanding horizontally, the architects built upward, creating a shell-like structure that accommodates a lofted interior housing living space, compact kitchen, and sleeping area.

The thoughtful material language makes this project special. The exterior is clad in ceramic tiles, a fundamental element in the traditional architecture of the Castilian highlands, offering protection against the region’s heavy rains and relentless winds. Inside, warm pinewood surfaces reinforce the cabin’s purity of form and create a cosy atmosphere.

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The architects adopted a fascinating approach to spatial organisation. All service areas—kitchen, bathroom, and an upper-level sleeping platform—are arranged as a freestanding volume at the core, deliberately detached from the outer walls. This clever move preserves openness while highlighting the monolithic presence of the tiled shell. The sleeping area’s elevated position serves a dual purpose: spatial efficiency and thermal advantage, as the central wood-burning fireplace naturally heats the upper layers first.

Partially embedded into the natural slope, the structure functions as a retaining wall, defining an exterior terrace that serves as a gathering space. This semi-buried strategy enhances thermal performance with three sides naturally insulated by earth, while visually diminishing the cabin’s apparent scale.

Positioned at the meadow’s highest point, the cabin captures uninterrupted Sierra views, facing eastward toward a stream that marks the site’s boundary. Its east-west orientation maximises daylight, while openings on all four sides enable cross-ventilation during warmer months.

Prado Toro offers a dialogue between tradition and contemporary living—a discreet yet expressive structure that embraces its rural context while reimagining what a modern retreat can be.

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[Images courtesy of Extrarradio Estudio. Photography by Asier Rúa.]