Rehabilitation of House in Barbeita
- Renovation & Repurpose, House
- Barbeita, Monção, 2024
A rehabilitation of a house in Barbeita, Monção, converts a small ruin integrated into a protected area into a bright and comfortable, functional, and energy-efficient home, in harmony with the existing built environment.
The existing
The ruin, with two floors, faces two uneven streets. One, to the south, at the level of the lower floor, provides direct access to the ground floor of the house, as well as, via external stairs, to the upper floor. The other is a dead-end alley to the north, with an average elevation of 0.4m above the upper floor of the building to be rehabilitated. The south facade has a single small window. The remaining openings are the doors to the spaces that were once animal pens or cellars, and the entrance to the upper floor. The rear facade is just an opaque wall with a passage to the outside. The site is located in an area subject to an environmental preservation plan around the Ponte de Mouro. This plan, which apparently has not been reviewed or monitored since 1994, the year it was conceived, imposes strict rules (and out of touch with the reality to which they apply) on the rehabilitation of some of the selected buildings among several in the area, whose criteria are hardly understood today. However, the current rehabilitation project focuses on one of these buildings, and it was with the rules in force that we sought and found the required and indispensable comfort solutions for good quality living.
Programmatic objectives
The aim is to obtain a dwelling with a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom, with good ventilation and direct sunlight conditions, at least meeting legal requirements. To meet the family's needs with two additional "satellite" bedrooms for less frequent use. To eliminate existing construction pathologies and implement an efficient construction model without overloading the existing structure.
The project
The equation of lighting and ventilation of the dwelling is solved through the creation of an uncovered patio capable of illuminating the living room, kitchen, and dining area with direct sunlight.
Moreover, the patio adds a private outdoor space that the original house did not have and functions not only as an arrival space to the house but also as an extension of the adjacent interior rooms.
The main bedroom occupies a specially created attic, which will not lack sunlight and ventilation. This bedroom is served by a private bathroom.
The "satellite" bedrooms occupy the ground floor, with direct access from the outside and are served by private bathrooms.
The existing
The ruin, with two floors, faces two uneven streets. One, to the south, at the level of the lower floor, provides direct access to the ground floor of the house, as well as, via external stairs, to the upper floor. The other is a dead-end alley to the north, with an average elevation of 0.4m above the upper floor of the building to be rehabilitated. The south facade has a single small window. The remaining openings are the doors to the spaces that were once animal pens or cellars, and the entrance to the upper floor. The rear facade is just an opaque wall with a passage to the outside. The site is located in an area subject to an environmental preservation plan around the Ponte de Mouro. This plan, which apparently has not been reviewed or monitored since 1994, the year it was conceived, imposes strict rules (and out of touch with the reality to which they apply) on the rehabilitation of some of the selected buildings among several in the area, whose criteria are hardly understood today. However, the current rehabilitation project focuses on one of these buildings, and it was with the rules in force that we sought and found the required and indispensable comfort solutions for good quality living.
Programmatic objectives
The aim is to obtain a dwelling with a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom, with good ventilation and direct sunlight conditions, at least meeting legal requirements. To meet the family's needs with two additional "satellite" bedrooms for less frequent use. To eliminate existing construction pathologies and implement an efficient construction model without overloading the existing structure.
The project
The equation of lighting and ventilation of the dwelling is solved through the creation of an uncovered patio capable of illuminating the living room, kitchen, and dining area with direct sunlight.
Moreover, the patio adds a private outdoor space that the original house did not have and functions not only as an arrival space to the house but also as an extension of the adjacent interior rooms.
The main bedroom occupies a specially created attic, which will not lack sunlight and ventilation. This bedroom is served by a private bathroom.
The "satellite" bedrooms occupy the ground floor, with direct access from the outside and are served by private bathrooms.