Architecture in ‘Rosa Porriño’

Granite is the natural stone that is representative of monumental and vernacular architecture in Galicia, recognised internationally thanks to its use in high quality architectural and construction works, such as the metro in Paris, symbolic buildings in New York and Tokyo City Hall.

Fig. 1 667 Madison Avenue in New York and Tokyo City Hall

‘Rosa Porriño’ is the most universal variety of Galician granites, and is characterised by its unique character, homogeneity and elegance.
The material’s mine was discovered in the sixties, situated in the outer western part of the O Porriño Mountain Range, and whose reserves guarantee its homogeneity and supply capacity for more than a century.
The main materials of this coarse-grained rock are feldspars, which provide the pink colour and dominate the composition; quartz, which appears with a greyish colour (translucent crystals); plagioclase, in a milky white colour; and biotite, which is black.

Fig. 3 Image of ‘Rosa Porriño’ granite on a real scale and under the microscope

The material’s optimum physical characteristics, including its bending resistance, compression and durability, favour the application of ‘Rosa Porriño’ in ventilated façades, supporting walls, exterior paving and interior cladding.

Fig. 4 Ventilated façade and tiles made of ‘Rosa Porriño’

‘Rosa Porriño’ is one of the granites that has one of the most extensive chrome varieties according to the finish applied to it. Polishing intensifies the pink colour of the feldspars, a bush-hammered finish softens the visual impact of the grain, and a rubbed finish balances the different tones of the rock’s minerals.
The extensive possibilities offered by granite in terms of formats for construction enables any type of building to be addressed, from isolated single-family homes to block constructions and high-rise buildings.

Fig. 5 Building types with ‘Rosa Porriño’

Although the architectural examples with ‘Rosa Porriño’ are less than a century old, works have already been catalogued in the DOCOMOMO, an international organisation responsible for protecting the architectural heritage of the Modern Movement. An example of this is the Gondomar Market from architect Xosé Bar Bóo, constructed with walls comprising binding stones of ‘Rosa Porriño’ granite.
‘Rosa Porriño’ has also been used in unique works of heritage intervention, such as the restoration of the Nazarí wall in Granada, in which a wall with slabs of the material was erected, favouring the visual continuity of the existing wall and harmonising the link between the new and pre-existing constructions.

Fig. 6 Wall with slabs of ‘Rosa Porriño’ granite

‘Rosa Porriño’ is a granite with great constructive and aesthetic potential, which stands out thanks to its chromatic harmony and provides distinction and uniqueness to spaces, both new constructions and intervention in existing ones. Choosing this material makes a difference. Do you dare to use it?