Filipe Pina proposes that the rear elevation, facing south, be assumed as the new main elevation, without neglecting the historical value of the complex. House is organized on two floors, so that the main access and the social area are on the ground floor. On the first floor there are three bedrooms that are organized through symmetries and rotations, with a large space overlooking the natural landscape of the area.
Northern section and the so-called spring section recover granite and masonry elements, without neglecting the historical value of the rest of the elements. Materials used are of natural origin, such as lime plaster for the facades, wood carpentry, cork insulation and slate thresholds.
Caldeira House by Filipe Pina. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.
Caldeira House by Filipe Pina. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.
Description of project by Filipe Pina
In the historic centre of Vila Nova de Foz Coa, the project focuses on the rehabilitation of a devolved building built at the end of the 19th century, transforming it into a single-family dwelling, where historical architectural features are adapted to a contemporary housing reality.
The southern elevation of the building has suffered over the years, depending on the needs of the former owners, different alterations and associated constructions, with no architectural link with the original construction. However, slate thresholds are highlighted as the main coating applied on shale masonry structure.
It is on the basis of these two notable elements (slate and shale) that it is proposed to reconfigure space and elevation, still responding to the traditional method of construction, which seeks to highlight the back elevation, directed to the south, and to assume it as the new main elevation of the dwelling.
Caldeira House by Filipe Pina. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.
Without overlooking the historical value of the remaining stretches, the existing elements of granite sawmills and masonry are recovered on the northern and spring stretches, and new fans are opened south, leaving the ruins in shale, outer walls and the colours of nature uncovered for those living inside the house.
At the constructive level, traditional solutions have been chosen, with the selection of materials of natural origin, such as lime towing for the façades, wooden frames, wooden flooring, insulation with agglomerated cork on floors and application of slate thresholds.
At programmatic level, the dwelling is organised on two levels, the main access being made by the southern elevation at level of floor 0. It is on this floor that the whole social area is distributed in a connected space, bounded only by the pre-existing inner walls, in shale masonry. On floor 1, the three-quarters are organised in a game of symmetrics and rotations, where the meeting point culminates in a wide space for the natural landscape typical of the region.
