Architecture studio · Córdoba, Spain
CórdobaLive sun studyHouses, courtyards and renovations in Andalusia. Every project starts with a sun study of its plot.
Carvajal Brandt
- Winner Cal y Sombra Awards 2025
- Shortlisted Bienal Mediodía 2024
- 41 houses and renovations since 2009
- Umbral
- Planta Libre
- The Courtyard Review
- Cornisa
- Módulo
- Cal y Sombra
- Bienal Mediodía
Live from Córdoba
Today’s sun on our courtyard house
The Casa del Naranjo in San Basilio, lit by the sun over Córdoba right now. Keep scrolling and the rest of the day goes by.
Move the sun yourself
How we start
We start every project on the plot, with a compass and two dates: 21 June and 21 December. Where the sun falls decides where the courtyard goes, how deep the windows are and which walls get the whitewash.
- Houses and renovations since 2009
- 41
- Days to deliver a sun study
- 7
- Metres: a two-storey shadow at noon on 21 December
- 12.8
- Awards and mentions
- 3
Selected work
All projects
What we do
01Sun study
The shadows of your plot on 21 June and 21 December, the hours of sun on each façade and what we’d do with them. Seven days, €450.
Scope and fees02New houses
Courtyard houses in town and houses in the countryside, from the first sketch to the keys.
Scope and fees03Renovation
Old buildings and listed ones: surveys, permits and the patience they need.
Scope and fees04Interiors
Layout, joinery, lime and stone. We design the rooms and the furniture that goes in them.
Scope and feesFrom the first visit to the keys
A new house takes two to three years. Almost half of that is the permit and the building work, which don’t depend on us. This is the rest.
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01
Site visit and sun study
We walk the plot at two times of day, measure the neighbours and draw the shadows of both solstices.
1 week
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02
Sketch design and model
Two or three options in plan and a card model you can take home and put in your own window.
6 weeks
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03
Planning drawings and permit
The drawings the council needs. We submit them and answer every request until the permit is granted.
8 weeks + the council
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04
Construction drawings
Every detail at 1:20 and 1:5, the measurements and the budget the builders will quote on.
8 weeks
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05
Site supervision
A visit every week, minutes every week, and the final certificate at the end.
12 to 18 months
Awards and press
All pressWhat it costs
Fees as a share of the build cost, agreed in writing before we start. VAT not included.
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Sun study of your plot
Shadows on both solstices, hours of sun per façade, a first sketch. Deducted if we do the project.
7 days
€450
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New house
From the first sketch to the last site visit: design, permit, construction drawings and site supervision.
2–3 years
9% of build cost
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Renovation
Existing and listed buildings, with the heritage survey and the permits they need.
1–2 years
11% of build cost
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Interior remodel
Flats, shops and studios: layout, joinery, materials and light.
3–6 months
from €3,500
Questions
Anything else: +34 957 482 316, weekdays 9:00–18:00.
Do you work outside Córdoba?
Yes, anywhere in Andalusia for full projects, and anywhere at all for a sun study: we only need the address and the plans of the neighbouring buildings.
What exactly is a sun study?
A drawing of your plot with the shadows of the buildings around it on 21 June and 21 December, and the hours of direct sun each façade gets. It tells you where the courtyard, the bedrooms and the windows should go before anyone draws a room.
How long does a new house take?
Between two and three years from the first visit to the keys. About half of that is the council permit and the building work.
How are the fees paid?
By phase: 10% with the sketch design, 30% with the planning drawings, 20% with the construction drawings and 40% spread over the months on site.
Can we use our own builder?
Of course. We’ll ask for two more quotes to compare, and we visit the site every week whoever builds it.
Do you handle listed buildings?
Most of our renovations are in the historic centre of Córdoba, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We prepare the heritage survey and deal with the permits.
From the journal
All entriesAsk for the sun study of your plot
Tell us where it is. In seven days we’ll send you the shadows on 21 June and 21 December, the hours of sun on each façade and what we would do with them.
Calle San Basilio 27, 14004 Córdoba
+34 957 482 316 · [email protected]
Monday to Friday, 9:00–18:00