Jesús Meseguer+Elena Beltrán
Architecture for the rehabilitation of post-wildfire habitat.
Incendio is the latest project by 3D artist Elena Beltran and architect Jesus Meseguer. Together they work on the development of digital imagery and speculative narratives as a means to expand the relationship between architecture and ecology.
Since 2021 they have been researching how to take action on the deposit of wounded organic matter after a wildfire. In a state of climate emergency, the development of post-fire strategies to guarantee biological renewal has become a pressing issue. Incendio operates in this context. After a wildfire, the project rehabilitates a burned down Masia – a traditional architectural typology found in forested areas of Spain. The proposed strategy is to surround its ruins with a cremated-wood stratum. By keeping burned wood in the healing ecosystem, we create a biological stratum that enhances natural recovery, providing nutrients and fostering mutualistic interactions between species.
In this way, the project encompasses the reconstruction of two habitats: a domestic interior and its surrounding landscape. To accommodate life, a series of neoprimitive wood-based objects are placed strategically throughout the intervention. As time goes by, vegetation will start to grow within these pieces of furniture. A radical way to inhabit within a forest emerges. Perhaps, by understanding the efforts and sacrifices that restoring a landscape implies, we could start to prevent its destruction.
Authors: Jesús Meseguer+Elena Beltrán.
Website: rawraw.es
Location: Spain.
Year: 2023