The Cortijo de San Marcos is located near the Tabernas Desert and on the banks of the Andarax River, in Santa Fe de Modújar, Almería. It is a terraced family plot spread over two levels: the upper level houses the home and irrigation pool, and the lower terrace houses a vegetable garden and a dozen fruit trees. The Cortijo de San Marcos is a productive orange blossom field for personal consumption, but also a place for the family to enjoy on vacations and weekends.

The project was commissioned to build a swimming pool to combat the hot summer months. The premises of the intervention focused on understanding the water system that supplies the farm's irrigation. This is a place with a desert climate, with scarce but torrential rainfall. Surrounding the farm are other small buildings, accompanied by agricultural land, especially orange groves. The San Marcos farmhouse is supplied with water in three different ways. First, through the piped sanitary water supply from the village. Second, a system of irrigation ditches and canals conveys water from a natural spring to the various farmhouses. Through a set of gates, the "clockmaker" allows water to reach the property when needed. And finally, through the storage of torrential rainwater in the pool.

The project proposes maintaining the pool and converting it into a bathing and irrigation facility. Thus, the intervention focuses on inhabiting the upper terrace garden through the construction of a wall, two stone carpets, and the reorganization of the irrigation water network.

The wall is a whitewashed wall that encloses the garden and replaces the old metal fences. It provides privacy and enhances the existing trees by contrast. Non-native vegetation is removed, the trees are maintained, and smaller species are transplanted. The garden is covered in a white blanket of local stone gravel. Facing the terrace and facing the views, the wall is lowered to overlook the landscape and opened, via a staircase, to allow access to the orange trees.

The perimeter of the pool is raised 30 centimeters to emphasize its role as an irrigation system and prevent leaves from entering. Due to the adaptation of existing structures, this trapezoidal platform is covered with travertine stone from a nearby quarry. To prevent slipperiness and reduce costs, the stone's finish is maintained after cutting. The stone's cut structure organizes the irregularities and interacts with a new square platform that, like a carpet, subtly levitates off the ground. This terrace, shaded by the fig tree, allows for diverse appropriations in relation to the house's arcaded porch.

The irrigation system's irrigation ditches are rehabilitated. Now, a stone channel fills the pool, which in turn has a drain that allows for irrigation of the fruit bed. In the garden, two reclaimed marble elements, a sink and a laundry tub, serve as part of the furnishings. Both are used for bathers' showers or for cleaning utensils, and the water used is used to drip irrigate the garden trees. To ensure the pool's dual summer/winter functionality, a chlorine purification system was chosen. In summer, the clean, crystal-clear water refreshes the environment and allows those who inhabit it to bathe. When the chlorine evaporates, it is used in the irrigation system. In winter, the water turns green and blends in with the neighboring pools.