In this garden, we encountered two trees, a horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and a Crimson King Norway maple (Acer platanoides ‘Crimson King’), which we chose to preserve.

We designed a central space paved with reclaimed cobblestones from a former local factory, from which all elements radiate, creating a sense of harmony and cohesion, a rhythm, almost like an Allegro. Stone, in its various forms, is the main material after the trees: dry-stone walls made with reclaimed stone from the surroundings of Sant Feliu de Codines, laid in the traditional way and crowned with local sardinell stone.

But this central space is pierced by a striking arrow of Italian porphyry cobblestone, contrasting with the reclaimed material and leading to an elevated point affectionately called “Everest” by the children in the house.

Drought-tolerant plant species are watered with a discreet subsurface irrigation system during the summer to maximise water efficiency.

Shade plays a key role in this garden: the horse chestnut, considered one of the best shade trees due to its dense canopy, allows very little sunlight through. Plants beneath its branches must be well adapted to low-light conditions.

The true gem of this garden is water. It springs from a small pond and flows into a larger one, where water lilies, fish, and birds gather, a vital, refreshing feature of the space.

This is a quintessentially green garden, but in autumn it turns highly chromatic thanks to the foliage of the trees and Parthenocissus vines.

We also designed a barbecue area and a shelter built using the traditional Catalan vault technique.