Renovation of Houses in Foz
- Renovation & Repurpose, House, Residential
- R. Nunes da Ponte, Porto, 2018
- com Alexandra Morais, Marcelo Oliveira
- Photography: JMF
The renovation in Foz do Douro results in the conversion of two semi-detached houses from the 1950s into two duplex homes, bright, comfortable, and distinct, satisfying two different perspectives on living and enjoying domestic space.
The existing
The existing three-story residences, built in the 50s, concentrated family life on the two upper floors, dedicating the ground floor to garages and storage. The living quarters had no direct access to the gardens, which meant always having to go down at least one flight of stairs to reach them. The gardens were narrow, long, and ended with annexes used for laundry and storage of gardening tools. They were not very appealing. The buildings already required general repair work on wall coverings and window frames.
The project
Thus, the building renovation project in Foz changes the pre-existing model of enjoyment of the houses and also the existing gardens. It creates two residences, different from each other, but which meet current needs for new spaces. These spaces, with new functional and visual characterization, with different proportions and articulation between them. They are designed and equipped to offer new value in the realm of comfortable housing, according to current standards. One of the residences is an apartment on the top floor, where all living quarters are distributed on a single floor. However, this apartment is complemented by two work areas, offices/studios, which occupy half of the intermediate floor. It is on this floor that the formal access to this residence is located, for those arriving from the outside. The other residence, whose living quarters are distributed over two floors, offers the experience of a house, with a close and direct relationship with the garden. This one occupies the entire ground floor, dedicated to family living areas. The portion of the intermediate floor allocated to it is used for bedrooms. This residence allows exclusive enjoyment of the garden and the annex building. The annex houses a bright multi-purpose room, in addition to the laundry and a storage area. Outside, it houses an area for outdoor meals and respective support equipment. This annex, built across the full width of the back of the lot, hides the chaotic image of the profile of the boundary walls and constructions of neighboring properties and thus contributes to the organization and "peace" of the garden's horizon.
Energy efficiency and sustainability
Particular attention was given to two aspects in particular: efficiency in thermal and acoustic insulation and to efficient and sustainable systems for ventilation and air conditioning of the interior, and to the heating of sanitary water. These systems include the coordination and complementarity between thermal solar panels, hydraulic heat recovery units, and geothermal heat exchangers, assisted by heat pumps. From these interconnected networks, there is no perception today in the living spaces due to the care taken in coordinating and integrating the different technical projects with the architectural project.
The irrigation of the gardens received special attention in terms of sustainability in the use of resources. In this regard, a device for collecting and storing large amounts of rainwater for garden irrigation was studied. This water, supplemented with well water, will allow garden irrigation throughout the year, avoiding the use of public water for this purpose. The device is also prepared to prevent flooding caused by any heavy downpour.
The existing
The existing three-story residences, built in the 50s, concentrated family life on the two upper floors, dedicating the ground floor to garages and storage. The living quarters had no direct access to the gardens, which meant always having to go down at least one flight of stairs to reach them. The gardens were narrow, long, and ended with annexes used for laundry and storage of gardening tools. They were not very appealing. The buildings already required general repair work on wall coverings and window frames.
The project
Thus, the building renovation project in Foz changes the pre-existing model of enjoyment of the houses and also the existing gardens. It creates two residences, different from each other, but which meet current needs for new spaces. These spaces, with new functional and visual characterization, with different proportions and articulation between them. They are designed and equipped to offer new value in the realm of comfortable housing, according to current standards. One of the residences is an apartment on the top floor, where all living quarters are distributed on a single floor. However, this apartment is complemented by two work areas, offices/studios, which occupy half of the intermediate floor. It is on this floor that the formal access to this residence is located, for those arriving from the outside. The other residence, whose living quarters are distributed over two floors, offers the experience of a house, with a close and direct relationship with the garden. This one occupies the entire ground floor, dedicated to family living areas. The portion of the intermediate floor allocated to it is used for bedrooms. This residence allows exclusive enjoyment of the garden and the annex building. The annex houses a bright multi-purpose room, in addition to the laundry and a storage area. Outside, it houses an area for outdoor meals and respective support equipment. This annex, built across the full width of the back of the lot, hides the chaotic image of the profile of the boundary walls and constructions of neighboring properties and thus contributes to the organization and "peace" of the garden's horizon.
Energy efficiency and sustainability
Particular attention was given to two aspects in particular: efficiency in thermal and acoustic insulation and to efficient and sustainable systems for ventilation and air conditioning of the interior, and to the heating of sanitary water. These systems include the coordination and complementarity between thermal solar panels, hydraulic heat recovery units, and geothermal heat exchangers, assisted by heat pumps. From these interconnected networks, there is no perception today in the living spaces due to the care taken in coordinating and integrating the different technical projects with the architectural project.
The irrigation of the gardens received special attention in terms of sustainability in the use of resources. In this regard, a device for collecting and storing large amounts of rainwater for garden irrigation was studied. This water, supplemented with well water, will allow garden irrigation throughout the year, avoiding the use of public water for this purpose. The device is also prepared to prevent flooding caused by any heavy downpour.