Iwan Baan
  • Photography
  • Books
  • Exhibitions
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Ensamble – Truffle

Ensamble – Truffle

2012

The Truffle is a sculptural piece of architecture—part geology, part shelter. Built on the rugged coast of Galicia, the structure emerges like a stone embedded in the landscape, camouflaged by its material logic and natural formation process.

To construct it, a void was created in a mound of earth using hay bales. Concrete was poured around the hay, and over time, the earth was excavated, revealing a solid mass. The compressed hay, shaped by hydrostatic pressure, was then consumed by a calf named Paulina, who lived inside the structure for a year. As she ate away the interior, space was revealed—transforming the mass into architecture.

The Truffle is not just a building, but an experiment in material transmutation, environmental integration, and the slow unveiling of form—a meditation on how architecture can be grown rather than constructed.

Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite

Tags:

  • Animal,
  • Asturias,
  • Earth,
  • Ensamble Studio,
  • Home,
  • Nature,
  • and Spain

Other projects tagged with Animal, Asturias, Earth, Ensamble Studio, Home, Nature and Spain

Arbre Blanc – Sou Fujimoto

Arbre Blanc – Sou Fujimoto

Hermosillo Housing – Alberto Kalach

Hermosillo Housing – Alberto Kalach

Sun Tower Yantai – OPEN Architecture

Sun Tower Yantai – OPEN Architecture

Chengalchoola Housing – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

Chengalchoola Housing – Trivandrum – Laurie Baker

House Santa Monica – Frank Gehry

House Santa Monica – Frank Gehry

Playa Vista Park, Los Angeles – Michael Maltzan

Playa Vista Park, Los Angeles – Michael Maltzan

Factoria Joven (Teenager’s Playground), Merida Spain – Selgas Cano

Factoria Joven (Teenager’s Playground), Merida Spain – Selgas Cano

Ensamble – Musical Studies Centre

Ensamble – Musical Studies Centre

Caixa Forum, Madrid Spain – Herzog & de Meuron

Caixa Forum, Madrid Spain – Herzog & de Meuron

Skyhouse – Kikutake Architects

Skyhouse – Kikutake Architects

La Vera – Selgas Cano

La Vera – Selgas Cano

Suites Avenue Hotel, Barcelona – Toyo Ito

Suites Avenue Hotel, Barcelona – Toyo Ito

  • Home
  • Portfolio
  • Ensamble – Truffle

Iwan Baan Photography, Rozenstraat 145, 1016 NP Amsterdam, The Netherlands, e-mail: studio@iwan.com — all images © Iwan Baan 1996 - 2025