Monesterio
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid

The ‘Palace House’, a 14th century building was restored in collaboration with BAB architects after years of neglect.

Due to its advanced state of disrepair, our approach was one of minimal intervention and mitigation of external threats such as the presence of nesting storks!  Storks return to their nests year after year, progressively adding weight to the walls thus accelerating the process of deterioration.

In collaboration with environmental advisors, we devised a stylised nesting area just metres away from the building. The structure, resembling a thicket of native trees, provides nesting opportunities for an even larger community than the existing one and blends seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.