Introduction
'La Herradura' Project, in Huéscar, includes 72 cave houses of great historical value which are integrated into the scenary, whose cultural approach has not only a historical and architectural heritage but also an environmental asset as the basis of its design.
The Project is coordinated by the following institutions:
- Huéscar Town Council
- The Rural Development Group 'Altiplano de Granada'
- Huéscar 'La Herradura' S.L. Caves
- University of Alicante. Aedificatio Research Group
THE CAVE HOUSE IN GRANADA
The caves have been one of the first natural refuges used by the human beings. They have also been employed for religious, symbolic, defensive and even productive purposes.
The caves, dug directly into the ground, have reminded as a unique form of housing in some places such is the case of Granada province. This fact is due to the gentle hills availability where plenty of clayey material can be found. The cave houses are affordable, with a low environmental impact, bent into the surroundings and with an extraordinary capacity of naturally maintaining a constant temperature of between 17 and 22 ºC regardless of the outdoor climate.
The Granada province has an up to date census of 12.000 cave houses, the world's largest concentration of this type of housing; which have become not only an important milestone in Granada Upland but also a preferential property for the burgeoning community of EU citizens.
