Location: Son Servera, Mallorca, Spain Architect: Peris+Toral Arquitectes Stone Used: Limestone & Sandstone (locally known as marés) Status: Recently completed
A Contemporary Reinterpretation of Mallorcan Stone Architecture
In the northeastern Mallorcan town of Son Servera, the Barcelona-based architecture studio Peris+Toral Arquitectes has completed Living in Lime, a 42-unit social housing development that reinterprets the island’s traditional stone-building heritage through a distinctly contemporary lens. Founded by architects Marta Peris and Jose Toral in 2005, Peris+Toral Arquitectes designed the project for the Balearic Housing Institute (IBAVI), delivering nearly 2,000 square meters of protected housing on a site bordered by three streets and a former railway line now converted into a green corridor known as the Vía Verde.
The development is organized as two low-lying volumes, staggered to follow the site’s sloping terrain and positioned to minimize the visual scale of the intervention within the historic urban fabric. Diagonal gaps at opposite corners of the plot are enclosed by stone walls to form private courtyards, echoing the walled gardens and corrals traditionally found throughout the island. An elevated, naturally lit and ventilated walkway runs between the two blocks, giving access to pass-through apartments while shaded terraces mark each home’s entrance.
Full credit for this thoughtful, context-driven design belongs to Peris+Toral Arquitectes, whose approach consistently favors local materials, climate-responsive detailing, and architecture that strengthens community life. Their body of work, including other award-recognized social housing projects, reflects a firm commitment to affordable housing that never compromises on architectural quality — and Living in Lime was shortlisted for the 2024 EU Mies van der Rohe Award (EUmies Awards) in recognition of that achievement.
The Stone at the Heart of the Design
What sets Living in Lime apart is its facade: self-supporting, load-bearing walls built from ashlar blocks of marés — the local term for the sandstone and limestone quarried across the Balearic Islands. This stone has defined Mallorcan architecture for centuries, historically used for everything from garden walls to village houses, and Peris+Toral Arquitectes drew directly on that vernacular, pairing the stone facades with pitched roofs clad in traditional Arab tiles.
The choice was not merely aesthetic. Limestone and sandstone are prized in construction for good reason:
- Thermal performance: Both stones have excellent thermal mass, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it slowly, which helps regulate indoor temperatures naturally and reduce reliance on mechanical heating and cooling.
- Durability: Limestone and sandstone are dense, weather-resistant materials capable of withstanding decades of coastal Mediterranean exposure while aging gracefully rather than degrading.
- Structural versatility: Both stones can be cut into precise ashlar blocks for load-bearing walls, making them suitable for structural facades as well as decorative cladding.
- Regional and environmental fit: Sourcing stone locally, as this project did, cuts down on transportation emissions and keeps construction materials visually and culturally consistent with their surroundings.
- Low maintenance: Unlike many modern facade materials, natural stone requires minimal upkeep over its lifespan, making it a cost-effective long-term choice for developers and housing authorities alike.
These qualities are precisely why natural stone continues to be specified in projects that value sustainability, longevity, and regional identity — from social housing developments like this one to high-end commercial and residential builds worldwide.
Sourcing Natural Stone for Projects Like This
Projects such as Living in Lime highlight why architects and developers increasingly turn to natural stone for sustainable, climate-responsive design. For teams looking to source limestone, sandstone, granite, marble, travertine, quartzite, or slate for their own developments, StoneMandi.com operates as a global B2B natural stone marketplace connecting architects, developers, builders, contractors, importers, and exporters with verified stone suppliers worldwide.
Whether the goal is bulk stone supply for a large-scale housing development or sourcing a specific regional stone to match a project’s design intent, StoneMandi.com provides direct access to a global network of trusted suppliers. Architecture like Living in Lime is a reminder that natural stone remains one of the most reliable materials for building durable, climate-responsive, and regionally authentic architecture — and platforms like StoneMandi.com exist to make sourcing that stone simpler for the professionals designing the next generation of sustainable buildings.
Sources: Dezeen, Metalocus, ArchDaily/Global Spaces, Azure Magazine, MiesArch, and EUmies Awards project documentation.