The revival of a memory

The main idea is to reinvent a forgotten place in time, so that it can respond to several new functions and ways of living in community, through cultural recreation. The northern hinterland of Portugal is currently suffering from desertification, as well as the main cities cannot afford the construction rate that we assist nowadays. Thus, diverse forms of dwelling, less dense territory occupation, and the reuse of abandoned buildings are explored, in order to bring creative solutions to the housing crisis in our country, and the scarcity of natural resources on our planet.

A collective accommodation for artists invites them to reside in a place where they can enjoy spaces intended for individual production, as well as collaborate in an atmosphere of shared inventiveness. The property is accessible to the entire community during performances and responds seasonally to the region’s music festival. The previous condition of the house functions as a basis for the new programmatic distribution, creating three distinct zones: one operational, one recreational and one intended for living. The northern volume comprises the main entrance and reception area. Several rehearsal rooms and sound recording facilities define the main volume. The old barns are destined for leisure activities, including a bar, a multipurpose room, and a swimming pool. Lastly, the self-sufficient accommodations are arranged in the gallery volume. The external spaces maintain their conceptual clarity: the large courtyards are, as before, central meeting spaces around which the entire intervention orbits. The elevated garden serves the public program, while guaranteeing the residents privacy, and the south slopes become a landscape promenade leading to the river. The granaries, the mill and the tower remain as a remembrance of the old farm house. The new infrastructure units are independent, prefabricated elements. Contrary to the buildings’s tectonic immobility, they appear as ephemeral modules, allowing the construction to revert to its previous state, if desired. Comfort is achieved by the new constructive system, promoting the trapping of thermal gains within the building, whilst all preexistent passive devices remain operational. Thus, the contemporary design is open to the unexpected, supported by the secular wisdom of architecture, but always generous to change.