Renovation of the Palacio Tondón Hotel in Briñas

In the town of Briñas, nestling amongst vast vineyards on the banks of the Ebro, stands the palace founded by Juan Ortiz Calderón in the 18th century, part of what more recent historiography has termed El Rioja de los Hidalgos– literally ‘El Rioja of the nobility’.

Strategically situated in the river’s northern basin, Briñas was connected directly with the Basque lands that had been granted special tax privileges, thereby avoiding payment of tolls and customs duties. This prime location turned Briñas into what today would be known as a tax haven, where the aristocratic winemakers built their stately homes in keeping with the canons that reflected their noble status. Free from the restrictions that bound these houses with their high walls and small openings for light and ventilation, the building we know today as Tondón Palace combined the austerity of its public front with the Mediterranean vitality of its private façade overlooking the inner gardens and Tondón hill, from which it takes its name.

The renovation, extension and décor of this stately home is the work of architect Giovanni Muzio and the firm Carpe Construcciones y Proyectos. 1,278 m2 of renovated space, combined with an extension of 1,122 m2 that make up the current hotel.

“A sustainable hotel in contact with nature, the landscape and its history” is the core concept underlying this project, intended to preserve the building’s identity whilst adapting it to its new function of providing service and comfort. The extension work includes innovative energy-saving building solutions, such as the use of wood which was 100% sustainably sourced from Austrian forests. The floor tiles were produced using Inalco’s innovative H2O IPLUS Full Digital technology, an innovative water-based technique that not only guarantees outstanding definition, but is also environmentally friendly and sustainable. This technology allows for the production of fabulous collections inspired by natural stone, such as Jasper, which provides a sense of warmth as well as adding a designer touch to the rooms, maintaining the historic character of the original building.

Inalco’s technical advantages make it the ideal choice for use in high traffic rooms but which also need to project a designer image. In the case of the Palacio Tondón Hotel, these materials have been used in areas such as Reception, the wine cellar, bar, lounges, dining rooms, corridors and bathrooms.

Technical details:

Project: Palacio Tondón Hotel

Distributor: Cerámicas Bilcon

Project managers: Carpe Construcciones y Proyectos

Architect: Giovanni Muzio

Inalco collection: Jasper