Meritxell Inaraja Arquitecta, SLP

Restoration of Castell de la Tossa

Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula

RESTORATION OF CASTELL DE LA TOSSA

Meritxell Inaraja

QUANTITY SURVEYOR
Antoni Rodon

DEVELOPER
Fundació La Tossa de Montbui

COLLABORATING ARCHITECTS
Laura Bigas Montaner, Amalia Casals Gil

STRUCTURE
Eskubi-Turró Arquitectes slp

MEASUREMENTS AND BUDGETING
Antoni Rodon

CONSTRUCTION
Francesc Xavier Vall Construccions

DESIGN TEAM
Meritxell Inaraja

CATEGORY
Landscape Architecture, Preservation Site, Historic Preservation

YEAR
2020

LOCATION
Santa Margarida De Montbui, Spain

AREA
316 m²

Text description provided by the architects

The Tossa de Montbui castle is located on a hill southwest of the city of Igualada, 620 meters above sea level, in a strategic point for military defence since medieval times and from where the other castles bordering the area are controlled.

Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula

It is mentioned for the first time in a document from the year 960. From the 12th to the 14th century the name of the castle is linked to the Viscounts of Cardona, who at first were feudatories of the castle and later, owners until the beginning of the 18th century.

The castle had several owners throughout the 19th century until in 1956 the rector of Santa Margarida de Montbui bought it. For many years it was uninhabited and seriously deteriorated.

Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula

Since 1967 the Association of Friends of Tossa and the Mountain Board (Asociación de Amigos de la Tossa y el Patronato de la Montaña) have carried out different interventions of interior reform and restoration.

It is a rectangular construction 9.50 meters wide and 14.50 meters long in a north-south direction, with rounded corners and walls of about two meters thickness, made of irregular calcareous stone from the area and lime mortar joints.

Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula

On the eastern side it has two floors and a height of about 10 m, while on the western side, due to the unevenness of the terrain, it is three meters taller. The interior is divided into two floors and a basement.

Currently, the interior is accessed from the eastern facade, and a modern building scale gives access to the first floor, now uncovered. From the historical study carried out, the existence of a roof slab on the first floor is deduced.

Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula

On the other hand, from the study of similar typologies, it can be deduced that the access staircase between floors used to be inside the wall to the west, now torn down.

The restoration proposal has been based on these historical premises and the rest of the data obtained on the original construction elements of the tower.

It is committed to the consolidation of the existing walls and the construction of specific elements that have historical materials as a reference, which allows reaching the highest part of the tower and recovering a viewpoint of the region and the other frontier castles.

Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula

The level corresponding to the original roof is reached by the stairs that consist of the west wall and recovers the idea of a possible original staircase located within the thickness of the walls, as is typical of many towers of this time.

The sloping shape of the staircase also makes it possible to respect the unfinished appearance and the memory of the ruins.

The same idea of uniting function and historical explanation is used in the construction of a small section of slab corresponding to the original level of the main floor of the tower as a balcony-viewpoint from the opening of the north sector, possibly the original access to the tower from the outside.

Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula


Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula


Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula


Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
© Adrià Goula
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Aerial View


Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Floor Plan Basement
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Ground Floor
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
First Floor
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Second Floor
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Basement Floor Plan Prior Condition
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Ground Floor Prior Condition
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
First Floor Prior Condition
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Second Floor Prior Condition


Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
West Elevation
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
North Elevation
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
North Elevation Prior Condition
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
West Elevation Prior Condition


Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Section Prior Condition
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Section Prior Condition


Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Longitudinal Section
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Longitudinal Section


Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Placement
Restoration of Castell de la Tossa
Transversal Section

Meritxell Inaraja Arquitecta, SLP
T +34 938 890472 M +34 670 316567
Meritxell Inaraja Arquitecta, SLP
Carrer de Sant Sadurní, 3, 2n, 08500 Vic, Barcelona, Spain