Description:
Markers of the agricultural development during the last four centuries, prevalent and largely concentrated in a small territory (more than 60000 in 35000 Km2), the Granaries on Stilts in the Northwest of Spain are the most characteristic and iconic rural constructions, displaying a remarkable superposition of two contrasting functional and architectural types over a space of 2500 Km2. The aim of this work -carried out between 2001 and 2011- is to know how they worked to dry and store the harvests, how adapted to the natural environment and, finally, to retrieve the disappearing knowledge regarding their design and construction, by documenting, re-evaluating and preserving them, finding new alternative uses. An exhaustive field and experimental work was conducted to understand how such factors as architecture, geometry, location and spatial orientation were skilfully managed to achieve an outstanding efficiency of these bioclimatic constructions. Over 5000 granaries were documented, many already disappeared at this time.