Building and repairing historic timber-framed courtyard houses: Corralas in Madrid (1747–1898)

ABSTRACT Timber-framed houses with a courtyard and construction set around it, believed first to be built in the seventeenth century, became the most common collective housing for factory workers in the late nineteenth century in Madrid, and also spread to Central and South America. However, their origin, development, the dating of the over 400 preserved, and how the design of the construction detailing is related to common structural decay and damage, remain unknown. The research reveals that structural failures led to the demolition of many buildings, and that new floors were added to many since the late eighteenth century. Today, poor conservation, and inappropriate renovations and intervention techniques prevent us from ascertaining whether they retain their basic substrate, the layout of dwellings and timber structures. A detailed study of the most relevant types shows the original structures discovered, later additions studied, faulty design assessment, and damage inspected.