House in Baião
Due to its magnificent location on the north side of the River Douro, the land benefits from excellent sun exposure and a direct and continuous relationship with the river. It consists mainly of a vast area of vegetation, partly dedicated to agriculture, and a building complex consisting of three distinct elements: the main house, two agricultural buildings and a ruin.
The decision to maintain the existing implantation is based on enhancing the relationship between the buildings, the surrounding vegetation and the river. The main house with its three volumes — south, west and north — will therefore be preserved and renovated to meet contemporary requirements and resume its residential function. The remaining built elements, namely the agricultural equipment and the ruin are maintained in their current state, without excluding the possibility of future intervention.
The proposal for the house focuses on the renovation of the two floors and the outdoor patio next to the entrance, seeking to redesign the spaces according to the user's needs. The main changes consist of creating a new vertical access, since the existing staircase did not comply with the minimum regulatory height, located in the space of the former living room, introducing two new bathrooms — one accessible on the upper floor and the other on the lower floor — and expanding the existing one. In the northernmost volume, a guest house is proposed, consisting of a living room/kitchen area with a kitchenette, bathroom, and a mezzanine for the bedroom. On the lower floor of the house, new rooms are also created to accommodate the rest of the programme.
These interventions allow the courtyard to function as the central connecting element of the house, ensuring various accesses to the dwelling and reinforcing the relationship between interior and exterior. This extends to the -1 floor, through the design of a paved outdoor space, allowing the user to enjoy an exterior platform with a privileged view over the Douro River.
Construction wise, the proposal intention is to add only the necessary contemporary layers: cork cladding on the exterior walls of the courtyard and those in contact with the road access, as well as new wooden flooring. These options meet the building's thermal needs and revitalise the courtyard, using sustainable and natural materials. In this way, the building takes on two complementary languages: one associated with the arrival, warmer and linked to wood, and the other related to the stone masonry façade to the southwest, which, in the middle of dense vegetation, becomes a striking element, referring to the robustness of the region's feudal buildings.
In short, the project aims to preserve the form and identity of the place, introducing contemporary solutions that respond to current constraints and promote a dignified and balanced way of life.
The decision to maintain the existing implantation is based on enhancing the relationship between the buildings, the surrounding vegetation and the river. The main house with its three volumes — south, west and north — will therefore be preserved and renovated to meet contemporary requirements and resume its residential function. The remaining built elements, namely the agricultural equipment and the ruin are maintained in their current state, without excluding the possibility of future intervention.
The proposal for the house focuses on the renovation of the two floors and the outdoor patio next to the entrance, seeking to redesign the spaces according to the user's needs. The main changes consist of creating a new vertical access, since the existing staircase did not comply with the minimum regulatory height, located in the space of the former living room, introducing two new bathrooms — one accessible on the upper floor and the other on the lower floor — and expanding the existing one. In the northernmost volume, a guest house is proposed, consisting of a living room/kitchen area with a kitchenette, bathroom, and a mezzanine for the bedroom. On the lower floor of the house, new rooms are also created to accommodate the rest of the programme.
These interventions allow the courtyard to function as the central connecting element of the house, ensuring various accesses to the dwelling and reinforcing the relationship between interior and exterior. This extends to the -1 floor, through the design of a paved outdoor space, allowing the user to enjoy an exterior platform with a privileged view over the Douro River.
Construction wise, the proposal intention is to add only the necessary contemporary layers: cork cladding on the exterior walls of the courtyard and those in contact with the road access, as well as new wooden flooring. These options meet the building's thermal needs and revitalise the courtyard, using sustainable and natural materials. In this way, the building takes on two complementary languages: one associated with the arrival, warmer and linked to wood, and the other related to the stone masonry façade to the southwest, which, in the middle of dense vegetation, becomes a striking element, referring to the robustness of the region's feudal buildings.
In short, the project aims to preserve the form and identity of the place, introducing contemporary solutions that respond to current constraints and promote a dignified and balanced way of life.
