Casa Al Misbah Moorish Style Modern Living

Bedroom View The Alhambra

Patio View Casa Al Misbah

Living Room Casa Al Misbah

It is a real privilege to be involved in such a historical site which stimulates the imagination. Only a few hundred years ago the occupants looked across the valley at an Alhambra occupied by real Nasrid kings surrounded by their harem, visited by Ambassadors from surrounding states there in the beautiful and spectacular ambassador’s room.

Now you can live in this building and have that same view from your bedroom window.

It’s a truly unique, world class location in the cobbled alleyways of Granada’s medieval Albaicin quarter.

It is a very sensitive development because of the archeology and the architecture. Our challenge has been to reflect the best of the architecture of the original Moorish occupants, their love of art, and also embrace all the benefits of modern living. In fact we set ourselves the goal of producing a building which sets the standard for residential buildings in the Albaicin. I think you will agree we have achieved that goal.

The archeologists have been excavating the site for 2 years now. Naturally the history of the site reflects the history of the town and few places have as spectacular history as the city of Granada. Their findings have been the inspiration behind the current scheme.

There have been modifications throughout the ages, many of which were made in the 17th century. The earliest structure on site dates back to the 11th century, which is also the date of the Alcazaba, the original fortress of the Alhambra. We have been able to trace through history how the structure of the walls and floors developed, the configuration of the rooms, and how the Moors used water for drinking and cleanliness, and also for cooling.

So passive cooling is by no means a modern concept, and the Moors were masters of channeling water for all these purposes and also for decoration. The fountains in The Alhambra today don’t use electric pumps. They use the original ones designed and developed by the Moors. We at Eco Vida have a lot to live up to in terms of renewable energy sources, and we are proud of our heritage.

There are trickling fountains in every square in Granada reflecting the Moors love of water, and one can be found at Paseo de los Tristes close by Casa Al Misbah. Here you will also find typical Andalucian food in the bustling restaurants full of locals, perfect for a balmy evening.

The modern design, set out by Eco Vida director and architect Luis Llopis, focuses as much on the importance of the interiors as the exterior. There is extensive use of natural light and water to create an oasis of peace and tranquility in the busy city centre. This sense of tranquility was absolutely understood by the Moors who managed to achieve a kind of sensuality in their own architecture, no more so than in the dream like quality of the Alhambra itself.

From a conventional builders perspective access to the site is a real problem. It’s just too narrow to get a crane in and pour tons of environmentally unfriendly concrete all over the archaeological dig. However at Eco Vida the structural element of our buildings is normally a timber frame.

There is a whole host of advantages to using timber frame. They are lightweight, strong, clean, fast, environmentally friendly, safer and outperform concrete in pretty well every measure. And in this particular instance we are able to literally carry the pieces in and assemble them on site with only the need for a mini crane. The solution is not only better than the concrete alternative, but less expensive, which is how it should be.

There are 4 duplexes – two with terraces and views of the Alhambra, and 3 one bedroom apartments. Prices range from €316,845 for the largest which is 70 square metres and has a terrace to €130,000 for the smallest which is 39 square metres.

If you are interested in buying one, or if you are an estate agent interested in selling the apartments, then get in touch with John Wolfendale at Eco Vida.

How to Choose an Architect in Spain

English Architect Spain

English Architect Spain

Choosing an Architect is a hugely important decision in any design and build project, so it is crucial that you get it right and find someone you are happy to work with.  Obviously, if you are looking to build in Spain, or any other foreign country for that matter, the process becomes that little bit more difficult, and that little bit more important to get right.  No pressure!  Hopefully this article will help you to understand some of the important things to look for in an architect, and how to go about finding and appointing the right person to work for you.

Firstly, let me present you with two scenarios.

Scenario One – You are the Client

Imagine if you will that you are a successful professional approaching retirement age (which may well be true).  You’re bored/unhappy with the country you’re living in and you want to get out, so decide to sell your home and build a new house in Spain.  This is a pretty exciting stage, and ideas will no doubt start flooding into your head about what your house might be like – a huge swimming pool, nice big kitchen, tiled floors and earthy coloured walls – your dream house begins to appear before your very eyes!  With this in mind you start to look for someone who can bring these ideas to life: an architect.  You find a company and meet with them but soon start to feel like you’re being backed into a corner and making compromises – your huge swimming pool becomes a pond, you’re kitchen gets tucked away in a small corner, and your tiled floors are replaced with modernist white concrete.  What’s more, it’s quite possible that you’ll feel pressured into accepting all these changes, being swept along by a breeze of flowery language and sales pitches, believing that the architect knows best.  Before you know it you’re moving into someone else’s dream home, not yours.

Scenario Two – You are the Architect

Now I invite you to sit on the other side of the fence.  Imagine you are an established architect in the South of Spain with a solid reputation for providing quality homes for individual clients.  Someone contacts you wishing to move to Spain, and is excited about the prospect of building a new house there.  All well and good, you arrange to meet with them to discuss possible designs.  What you don’t realise is that this particular client is coming armed with some pretty exact ideas of what they want.  They come with all sorts of sketches of their dream home, which turns out (rather surprisingly!) to be a bright green castle complete with turrets and a drawbridge – and they refuse to make any compromises!  What do you do?  Obviously you don’t want to offend the client, and turning down business isn’t good either.  However, you live by the reputation of your past projects, and a green castle wouldn’t look great to future clients!  I imagine you’d give them a firm ‘no thanks’.

Enough Hypothesising – What Can I Learn From This?

Obviously no one’s really looking to build a green castle (I don’t think!), and equally not many architects will be quite so stubborn as to force you into a house you don’t like.  However, by looking at both extremes of what can happen between an architect and a client, we can see that a strong understanding between the two is crucial in order to produce a house that the client will be happy in, and the architect will be proud to show to his future clients.

A thorough screening process before appointing an architect will ensure you get someone who has similar ideas to you, similar approaches to design, and most importantly someone who you get on with and feel you can talk openly with.  There’s nothing worse than not wanting to ask a question for fear of it seeming stupid in the eyes of a professional!  They are there to work for you, and so should be flexible, open and honest with you.  Equally, in selecting an architect, it is important to show some flexibility yourself – after all, they have the training, qualification and experience in the field, so it seems silly not to listen to what they’ve got to say and thoroughly consider any ideas or changes they might suggest.

So, How do I Start Looking for an Architect in Spain?

So far we’ve talked in pretty general terms about what to look for in an architect.  Now I want to get more specific, and lay out exactly what you might do in order to find someone suitable and willing to work for you.  This is where the process becomes more particular to Spain, since every country has it’s own accrediting bodies, systems and laws relating to architecture and construction.  The following points are a few of the things you should do before appointing your architect:

-          Consider the language barrier – If you can find an English-speaking (and honest!) architect, they can become invaluable not only in their ability to communicate easily with you, but also to act as a middleman between you and your builders.  Even if your builders do speak English, the language barrier is a convenient way of covering up problems or mistakes on their part.

-          Where to find an architect – It is best to collect as many names as possible on an initial shortlist, then begin to narrow your search down from there.  Talk to people in bars, look in the local phone book, and talk to builders and estate agents (although some will get a commission for recommending certain people so beware!).

-          Talk to them – As I said before, it’s really important to have a good working relationship with your architect so, if possible, meet with people on your shortlist face to face, or if not ring them up and talk to them.  Ask to see a portfolio of their work and evidence of their licensing in the area you wish to build in.

-          Follow up references – It’s also important to ask for references from past clients – people will be happy enough to talk to you, and this can often be the most revealing insight into how good an architect is.

-          Ask about fees – An obvious one I suppose, but note that architects fees are normally a percentage of the total costs of the work being done (usually around 5-10% depending on where and with whom you build).  Check too whether they operate with a fixed priced contract – although they may be reluctant to do so, this can be massively beneficial to you since any unforeseen problems in the design or build will not affect your overall cost.

And Finally

The biggest thing to bear in mind when choosing an architect in Spain is to be completely thorough.  Be thorough in your research, thorough in your selection process, and thorough in your questioning in order to get someone you really respect and enjoy working with.  At the same time, remember our man in the green castle and be prepared to listen to changes or advice that come your way from the architect.  Remember it’s a two way process, and they have to decide whether they want to work with you too – showing flexibility should help to ensure this is an easy choice for them.

This article was written by Simon Thorpe. Simon Thorpe is a third year architecture undergraduate at Magdalene Cambridge. At the time of writing he is on an internship with Eco Vida. simoncthorpe@hotmail.co.uk

Land For Sale Andalucia – a fact sheet for the wise

Read Our Fact Sheet Before Buying Land in Spain

Buying Land in Spain Safely – The Facts

• Get Qualified Spanish Professionals on Your Side
• First Question: How is the land zoned for planning consent?
• Buying Urban Land – Suelo Urbano
• Buying Rustic Land - Suelo Rustico
• Rebuilding a Finca / Ruin
• Buy Good Title
• Get it Surveyed

http://www.ecovidainternational.com/land-for-sale-andalucia

Yes, We Can Find You a Site

Eco Vida founders John Wolfendale and Luis Llopis are extremely well connected in Andalucia and have a reach throughout Spain.

John Wolfendale is a British Chartered Surveyor who has been living and working in Spain for 17 years. Luis Llopis is a Spanish Chartered Architect who has taken over his father’s practice established in 1965, and well consolidated after over forty years of intense work.
Tell us what you are looking for and we will find it for you.
We are not estate agents and our advice is entirely impartial. Please read this if you are thinking of buying land in Spain.

Get Qualified Spanish Professionals on Your Side.

This is essential. You must have local professionals, who understand the system, asking the right questions on your behalf.

Yes people
When selecting any professional you need people with the strength of character to protect you from yourself if necessary. This means people who will tell you to stop when you have made a decision that is not in your best interests rather than “yes” people who are just interested in collecting their fee.

Never the agent’s lawyer
Your lawyer needs to be independent. Don’t use one recommended by the estate agent selling you the land. They should speak your language fluently (unless you speak fluent Spanish). They should be able to produce references and be happy for you to check them. If in doubt ask us.

Get it in writing
Make it clear from the start that you expect key communications to be confirmed in writing. Get into the habit of finishing each meeting and telephone conversation with a summary of what you understand to have been said, and then follow up with an email to confirm your understanding and ask for confirmation. Print these emails off so you have a paper trail of who said or agreed what and when.

Ask an architect
Seek the advice of an architect before buying. This is the best way to guarantee that your land use planning information is correct and accurate, both in the short and the long term.

The Notary
Seek the advice of a Spanish notary (notario) when buying, and to set up the property title after you buy.

Spanish Land Registry – your best guaranteee
Take your property title to the relevant land registry office (Registro de la Propiedad) after the purchase, in order to register it under your name. If you’re unsure, the notary will tell you where it is. This is the best guarantee to avoid future problems.

First Question: How is the Land Zoned for Planning Consent?

There are two broad categories of land in Spain, “urbano” which broadly speaking is zoned for development and “rustico” which isn’t.

Now under some circumstances you can develop “rustic” land, and in the case of “urbano” land you still need to ask the right questions before buying. In both types there are sub categories to understand, as well as regional laws to know about. Local town halls may interpret the law differently and in some, again well publicized, cases contradict the regional authority. You have to get this right. This is why you need qualified local professionals to ask the right questions for you.

The Spanish jargon
Some terms describe the legal status of the land from a planning perspective such as “urbano”, “urbanizable”, “no urbanizable”, and “protegido” and some terms describe the current state of the land such as “suelo urbanizado”, which will have all its services and infrastructure; “suelo en desarrollo” and “suelo sin desarrollar”. These are all explained below.

Urban Land – Suelo Urbano

“Urbano” land is generally within cities or close to towns and villages. It is clearly marked on the local plan which is freely available for inspection by anyone who asks the right department at the local town hall. It is called the Plan General de Ordenación Urbana. Suelo urbano generally would have all the services established however in some cases they may need finishing off which would imply costs and legal fees.

Suelo urbanizable
There is also the “suelo urbanizable” category, which is land which is in the process of being re-zoned so it can be legally developed.

On this land outline planning permission isn’t necessary. You apply for detailed planning permission from the local town hall. Land which is fully “urbanizado” will have all the services already established such as roads surfacing, pavements, street lighting, main drainage, mains water, mains electricity, and telephone land line. Check this list off and if something hasn’t been installed find out of there is a chance a  charge will be imposed on the owners of the plots to install this service.

Check in the town hall
Before buying make sure you get the Town Planning Certificate, “cédula urbanística” or certificado urbanistico, which specifies the planning zone, use, building space and building type for any plot of land.

Also be sure to check the local building norms for such things as height of buildings, whether you can put in a surrounding wall, the colour of exterior walls, number of balconies and so on.

What percentage can you build?
Check the locally applicable area occupancy rules. The regulations stipulate what percentage of the area you can build on. This will depend on a number of different factors. It maybe be, for example, that you can build on 30% of the plot you are interested in buying. You need to know.

Another regulation is the total construction allowed on the plot which again will vary and you need to know. So you are constrained in how much of the plot you can cover, and you are constrained by the maximum size of building you can erect.

Don’t forget the cellar
Underground construction (i.e. the cellar) will normally not be counted for permitted volume limitations (provided that it is totally under street level), though it will be considered in terms of construction fees. This can still be useful space. Terraces, swimming pools etc are also excluded from the calculations.

Height restrictions
There are rules governing the maximum height which you will also need to know before buying to be certain you can construct what you have in mind. For example the regulations may stipulate a 7 metre height restriction.

Style restrictions
Aesthetic restrictions vary. Quite often you will be free to build what you want within reason. In historic centres you can expect regulations to be quite strict.

Rustic Land – Suelo Rustico

All rustic land is governed by the national law and by the land laws of the autonomous regions, even though it belongs to the jurisdiction of a local town hall.

Building on rustic land is rarely simple
Rustic land is, by definition, not buildable. However in specific circumstances building can take place in these areas. For example, if there is a declaration of public interest; or the drafting of a Land Use Planning Instrument, such as the “proyecto de actuación en suelo no urbanizable”. These circumstances can vary from greatly between municipalities. For example it may be possible in some municipalities to build on 2% of the area a total construction of 4%. So you would need a lot of land to build a substantial house, and there may be other regulations which stipulate that the buildings be used for agricultural purposes. If you are thinking of doing this the regulations needs to be carefully studied.

Sometimes even large development can be approved, we organised planning permission for a large eco-tourism project near Granada with over 50 buildings in the first phase.

Any services?
Also check carefully what is available in terms of the main services, water, electricity, drainage and so on and take nothing for granted.

Rebuild a Finca / Ruin

It is common practice to re-build old fincas and the norm has always been that you can re-build to the original size. In some cases you may be able to add a small percentage to the area covered and the total construction.

You call that a ruin?
The interpretation of what comprises a ruin in Spain has been tightened up, and these days any old pile of stones no longer qualifies.

Aesthetic restrictions are stricter on rebuilding ruins and have to be in sympathy with the landscape and the original structure.

Buy Good Title

Title problems are frequent in rural Spain. It is not uncommon for there to be no title deeds, or for them to completely misrepresent what exists physically, or for them to refer to people long since deceased who died intestate and whose possible inheritors have to be searched for. In addition, legitimate claims are not formalized in title deeds. All these issues need to be tidied up before you purchase.

Again, ask a professional
There is quite simply no substitute for professional advice from qualified professionals in these cases.

Get it Surveyed

Get an independent surveyor to measure the exact number of square metres and make sure that the official measurements at the Catastro (land register) match what your own land surveyor has measured.

Check the registry
Check the owners registry to make sure that the seller is the only owner of the plot you want to buy. It is common in rural settings for land to have been owned by several people.

Great article on Page 36 about a Comfortable Eco Home

http://www.lachispa.net/admin/images/magazines/pdf_files/La%20Chispa-48-low.pdf

Even if your not particularly “eco” you’ll love the photography

Climate Change Quiz – For everyone who takes the quiz $2 is donated – get informed

Click here to take this quiz. It only take a couple of minutes. For everyone who does they donate $2 to Haiti. Also lots of good information here about climate change and deforestation.

http://clintonfoundation.org/earthday/quiz.php

Spanish Property Market Is Recovering – Unmistakable Evidence

Spanish Property Market is Recovering - Unmistakable Evidence

Below is some analysis, right up to date, about changes in the property market in Spain and in particular how foreigners are buying again, especially the Bristish, and developers are finding finance again.

In the last quarter of 2009, foreign residents in Spain bought 7,340 residential properties, 21% more than in the previous quarter and 11.8% more than in the same quarter of the previous year, according to figures from the Ministry of Housing.

Property sales have finally increased once again after eleven consecutive quarters of decline.  Between October and December of 2009, there was an increase of 4.1% in this key statistic which meant the first year-on-year rise since the end of 2006.

The rise of almost 20% in property sales in February, 2010, as a yearly rate since 2008, has raised hopes in the housing sector.  The majority of experts consulted confirm that these positive figures are a reflection of the drop in prices, low rates of interest, the expectant hike in VAT and the end of tax relief.   Although some of these strengthening factors cannot last in the long term, they will be replaced by other equally effective factors.

These experts affirm that the housing market will pick up soon, much quicker than expected, in line with the increase experienced in the second quarter of 2010 and in a much more discernable way during the remainder of the year.  However, it will not show a total recovery as the main problem in the sector is the illiquidity of the amount of building plots, although there are now financers who are prepared to begin new projects and, above all, to once again finance responsible building developers.

In the days leading up to Easter, estate agents specializing in second homes claim an increase of 50% in requests from the British interested in their real estate offers, in particular along the Costa del Sol and in the Balearics.

Source:                                               IET  www.iet-tourspain.es

Great witty talk on embodied energy in green buildings on Ted

http://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_mohr_builds_green.html

Eco Homes Outsell Conventional Homes at Higher Prices

http://www.propertywire.com/news/north-america/us-green-home-advantages-201004074024.html

Green Architecture and Construction in Spain – a 2 minute presentation

Thank you for watching