Traditional Village Morphology and Rural Housing Construction

Village Morphology and Street Layout

Village morphology, defined by the layout of its streets, is intrinsically related to the geographical location, origin, and historical development of the settlement.

Regular Track Villages (Planned Layouts)

Regular track villages are settlements created under a pre-established plan, where the street layout follows a geometric design. This design typically falls into two categories:

• Orthogonal Grid: Streets intersect at right angles, forming a grid pattern.
• Radial Design: Main streets converge at a central point, often connecting to secondary streets in a pattern resembling a spider web.

Irregular Layout Villages (Spontaneous Growth)

Villages with irregular layouts are the most abundant. Their structure is the result of spontaneous growth over time. The most common model features a collection of buildings clustered around a central defensive or religious structure, such as a church, a castle tower, or a defensive position located on a more or less abrupt relief.

Geographical Influence on Village Layout

The layout of a village is often closely related to its geographical location.

Plain Village Types

In plain areas, two main types of village layouts are common:

1. Radial Villages: Streets converge on a central point where a square, church, and town hall are typically located. This type is common in Castilla-La Mancha.
2. Linear or Path Villages: Settlements that extend along a channel of communication, such as a road or river. This type is common along the route of the Camino de Santiago.

Villages on Elevation

Villages situated on elevated terrain exhibit distinct patterns:

• Crowded Hilltop Towns: Settlements located at the top of a hill or mound, with buildings clustered tightly around the summit or hanging on the edge of an escarpment.
• Hillside Villages: Settlements whose main streets follow the curves of the level (contour lines).

Rural Housing Adaptation and Materials

Rural homes are perfectly adapted to the needs of their farming occupants.

Functional Adaptation of Rural Homes

The design of rural housing reflects the agricultural activities of the region:

• In farming areas, the ground floor of the houses is often designed for use as stables or barns.
• In areas of intensive agricultural activity, structures like cellars and specialized barns are common.

Classification of Rural Houses by Material

Building materials are typically sourced locally, reflecting the resources available in each region. Rural houses can be classified into the following categories based on construction materials:

Stone Houses

Stone houses are abundant across Northern Spain, the region of Murcia, the Mediterranean coast, and Extremadura. They are also prevalent in mountain areas where stone is readily available.

Wooden and Timber-Framed Structures

While purely wooden houses, once abundant, practically no longer exist, timber-framed structures remain in use in some areas, particularly within the Basque, Iberian, and Central systems.

Mud and Adobe Construction Techniques

Mud houses were traditionally built using raw clay, either sun-dried or compacted. Examples include the barracas (traditional houses) of the Valencian Community and Murcia, which feature mud walls and reed roofs.

Two primary techniques utilizing clay are:

• Adobe: Blocks made with mud walls are overlapped while still soft, allowing them to weld together.
• Tapial (Rammed Earth): Clay is poured and compacted into a wooden formwork to create the wall structure.