The project ‘Stone and Earth’ – drawn up by Gon Architects, the Madrid practice of Gonzalo Pardo Díaz – has won the competition coordinated by the León Institute of Culture for the purpose of building a research center and visitor reception facility at the archaeological site of the Astur-Roman city of Lancia. Involving architecture and landscaping, the scheme seeks to bring out in all its glory the dig located on a tableland between the rivers Esla and Porma, on the way to the city of León and very close to Villasabariego, Mansilla de las Mulas, and Mansilla Mayor, municipalities also belonging to León province. With a total built area of 817 square meters, three terracotta-hued pavilions are scattered on the site, seeking to minimize their visual impact on the territory and strike a balance between environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. The foundation of each construction is a flat, 25-centimeter-thick slab made of reinforced concrete and aggregates acquired in a recycling plant in the provincial capital. The vertical surfaces, clad in cork and lime paint, are loadbearing walls executed with prefabricated earth blocks. As for the landscaping project, the main objective is to bring back plant varieties that coexisted with the inhabitants of the Astur-Roman city, species that have been dying out in the region.