In Spain, gypsum and its many typologies play an important role as a construction material in Spanish architectural heritage. Its historical use is mainly a direct consequence of the abundance of gypsum deposits and a constructive tradition which began in ancient times. In addition to being a sign of constructive identity, gypsum is a clear example of the strong link between traditional architecture and the natural resources of the territory. The aim of this article is after to identify gypsum deposits and gypsum architectural heritage found in different parts of Spain and to explain the different gypsum typologies—other than powdered gypsum—used. Finally, the most unique construction techniques are described, differentiating between structural elements, partitions, and enclosures, as well as architectural elements and surface finishes.

El objetivo del artículo es dar a conocer una primera clasificación tipológica de la gran variedad de hornos tradicionales de yeso que aún se conservan en España y que han sido empleados históricamente para la producción de yeso en polvo. Tras la realización del “Estudio del yeso tradicional en España” para Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España y de investigaciones posteriores, ha sido posible localizar, visitar y dimensionar un número destacado de hornos de yeso, hoy en día en desuso salvo casos puntuales. En todos ellos, el proceso de calcinación se ha fundamentado en el mismo principio, la deshidratación de la piedra de yeso, pero en conjunto presentan diferencias constructivas, morfológicas y funcionales que se han analizado en detalle. Además, los resultados obtenidos evidencian la existencia de variaciones tipológicas a nivel geográfico así como diferencias en la carga de los hornos y la producción obtenida.

La ejecución de cubiertas planas de tierra ha sido una técnica frecuente en el Mediterráneo. El Campo de Cartagena no queda ajeno a esta práctica, empleándose una tierra local conocida como láguena. Aunque las cubiertas planas de tierra han sido objeto de diversos estudios, ninguno ha abordado de forma conjunta y monográfica sus características materiales y constructivas en esta comarca. El objetivo del artículo es identificar sus particularidades, tanto materiales, mediante la caracterización química y mineralógica de la láguena, como técnicas, a partir de las soluciones constructivas identificadas. La metodología seguida se fundamenta en una investigación histórica, una toma de datos in situ y un estudio de laboratorio. Los resultados confirman que la láguena procede de la meteorización de la filita, atribuyendo su coloración violácea al óxido férrico. Además, corroboran su empleo desde la Antigüedad hasta el s.XX y han permitido establecer similitudes constructivas con otras zonas del ámbito español.

Vernacular architecture in general and earthen architecture in particular, with their rich variety of forms worldwide, are custodians of the material culture and identity of the peoples who built them. In addition, they are widely recognized as ancestral examples of sustainability in all their variants and interpretations, and the architecture of the present ought to learn from these when designing the sustainable architecture of the future. The conservation of these architectures – seemingly simple yet full of wisdom – is to be undertaken now given their intrinsic value and their status as genuine examples of sustainability to be learnt from and interpreted in contemporary architecture. Vernacular and earthen architecture: Conservation and Sustainability will be a valuable source of information for academics and professionals in the fields of Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Construction and Building Engineering and Architecture. Vernacular architecture in general and earthen architecture in particular, with their rich variety of forms worldwide, are custodians of the material culture and identity of the peoples who built them. In addition, they are widely recognized as ancestral examples of sustainability in all their variants and interpretations, and the architecture of the present ought to learn from these when designing the sustainable architecture of the future. The conservation of these architectures – seemingly simple yet full of wisdom – is to be undertaken now given their intrinsic value and their status as genuine examples of sustainability to be learnt from and interpreted in contemporary architecture. Vernacular and earthen architecture: Conservation and Sustainability will be a valuable source of information for academics and professionals in the fields of Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Construction and Building Engineering and Architecture. Vernacular architecture in general and earthen architecture in particular, with their rich variety of forms worldwide, are custodians of the material culture and identity of the peoples who built them. In addition, they are widely recognized as ancestral examples of sustainability in all their variants and interpretations, and the architecture of the present ought to learn from these when designing the sustainable architecture of the future. The conservation of these architectures – seemingly simple yet full of wisdom – is to be undertaken now given their intrinsic value and their status as genuine examples of sustainability to be learnt from and interpreted in contemporary architecture. Vernacular and earthen architecture: Conservation and Sustainability will be a valuable source of information for academics and professionals in the fields of Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Construction and Building Engineering and Architecture. Vernacular architecture in general and earthen architecture in particular, with their rich variety of forms worldwide, are custodians of the material culture and identity of the peoples who built them. In addition, they are widely recognized as ancestral examples of sustainability in all their variants and interpretations, and the architecture of the present ought to learn from these when designing the sustainable architecture of the future. The conservation of these architectures – seemingly simple yet full of wisdom – is to be undertaken now given their intrinsic value and their status as genuine examples of sustainability to be learnt from and interpreted in contemporary architecture. Vernacular and earthen architecture: Conservation and Sustainability will be a valuable source of information for academics and professionals in the fields of Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Construction and Building Engineering and Architecture. Vernacular architecture in general and earthen architecture in particular, with their rich variety of forms worldwide, are custodians of the material culture and identity of the peoples who built them. In addition, they are widely recognized as ancestral examples of sustainability in all their variants and interpretations, and the architecture of the present ought to learn from these when designing the sustainable architecture of the future. The conservation of these architectures – seemingly simple yet full of wisdom – is to be undertaken now given their intrinsic value and their status as genuine examples of sustainability to be learnt from and interpreted in contemporary architecture. Vernacular and earthen architecture: Conservation and Sustainability will be a valuable source of information for academics and professionals in the fields of Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Construction and Building Engineering and Architecture. Vernacular architecture in general and earthen architecture in particular, with their rich variety of forms worldwide, are custodians of the material culture and identity of the peoples who built them. In addition, they are widely recognized as ancestral examples of sustainability in all their variants and interpretations, and the architecture of the present ought to learn from these when designing the sustainable architecture of the future. The conservation of these architectures – seemingly simple yet full of wisdom – is to be undertaken now given their intrinsic value and their status as genuine examples of sustainability to be learnt from and interpreted in contemporary architecture. Vernacular and earthen architecture: Conservation and Sustainability will be a valuable source of information for academics and professionals in the fields of Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Construction and Building Engineering and Architecture.

The architect Carlos de Miguel González was the author of the fishing village in Cartagena (Spain). The project promoted by the Instituto Social de la Marina in 1947 consisted of the construction of a housing complex and a Fisherman's House completed in 1955. The work was part of the Plan Nacional de Mejoramiento de la Vivienda en los Poblados de Pescadores which intended to address one of the main concerns of the Spanish state after the Civil War: the problem of poor housing. Thus, numerous actions were carried out along the entire Spanish coast, some published in Revista Nacional de Arquitectura. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to publicize the Cartagena project and the vicissitudes of its construction, as the built work is quite different from the original project. It also aims to highlight its most outstanding features through a comparative analysis with the other projects published in the journal and by studying possible links with the vernacular architecture of the Region of Murcia.