Socarrado / Nomad Studio

Architects: Nomad Studio
Area: 200 m²
Year: 2025
Photography: Nomad Studio, Almudena Cadalso, Michael Heinrich
Materials: Burnt Juniper Trunks
Client: Municipality of Santo Domingo de Silos and Sabinares del Arlanza – La Yecla Natural Park
Construction and Installation: Triturados Montero, Nomad Studio + Local Partners
Sponsors: Nomad Studio; Municipality of Santo Domingo de Silos; Park Management Office; SOMACYL; Bombyte
City: Burgos
Country: Spain

Socarrado is a permanent site-specific installation by Nomad Studio located within Sabinares del Arlanza – La Yecla Natural Park, an area severely affected by a wildfire that burned more than 2,800 hectares in 2022. Originally conceived as a temporary intervention, the work was retained following a strong response from visitors and the decision of local authorities to integrate it permanently into the landscape. Constructed entirely from charred juniper trees recovered on site, the installation takes the form of a large circular structure that serves as a space for contemplation and collective memory. Through its material reuse, restrained geometry, and communal construction process, Socarrado positions architecture as a tool for ecological awareness, healing, and renewed engagement with a damaged natural environment.

Set within a landscape still bearing the physical scars of fire, Socarrado approaches architectural intervention not as restoration, but as acknowledgment. Nomad Studio’s proposal resists concealment of damage and instead elevates the remnants of the wildfire into the very substance of the project. By doing so, the installation reframes loss as a condition for reflection, allowing architecture to mediate between destruction and continuity without attempting to overwrite either.

The project is defined by a circular ring with a diameter of fifteen meters, assembled from burned juniper trunks stacked concentrically to form a dense, dark perimeter. Their surfaces remain visibly charred, preserving the trace of the fire and embedding the memory of the event within the structure itself. The crowns of the trees are oriented outward, extending across the surrounding terrain and evoking the absent forest through their radial projection. This configuration draws on traditional Castilian rural enclosures once used to protect livestock, translating vernacular logic into a contemporary spatial language rooted in place.

At the center of the ring, a vertical opening with a diameter of three meters is formed by split trunks rising to create a compact vaulted space. A single aperture at the top allows light to penetrate the interior, briefly illuminating the dark mass of wood and framing a fragment of sky. The resulting atmosphere is defined by penumbra, verticality, and the persistent scent of resin released from the cut trunks, producing a sensory environment that encourages stillness and introspection.

Socarrado’s significance extends beyond its physical form through the collective process that enabled its realization. Residents, institutions, local businesses, and volunteers participated directly in its construction, and the project was funded entirely through shared contributions. This collaborative dimension situates the installation as a communal act rather than an isolated artistic gesture, reinforcing its role as a shared space of remembrance and responsibility.

Integrated into an international program that promotes artistic interventions in public space, Socarrado remains embedded in the evolving life of the park. As the landscape gradually regenerates, the installation stands as a quiet witness to what occurred, transforming the material residue of disaster into an enduring place for reflection and renewed attention to the fragile relationship between human presence and the natural environment.