Text description provided by the architects. The rural cluster, the object of intervention, is located near to the Chapel of Quintã – a classified building integrated in the Route of the Romanesque – a status that imposed a higher demand of caution and sensitivity in the development of a proposal. The makeup of this cluster is reminiscent of the past, of rurality and the idea of identity, factors and characteristics to be preserved in order to provide new generations with the knowledge and testimonies of a past time. It is from this frame of reference that the architectural proposal, for the reconstruction and expansion of the preexisting buildings, yearns to foster a just relationship with the past, but also simultaneously it is given the liberty to create a dialog between the new and the old.
In this dialogue, we consider it absolutely fundamental, on the one hand, to privilege the tones or chromatic values of the granite masonry and wood that characterized some of the volumes that used to exist, on the other hand, the new forms would have to establish a morphological and functionally adjusted connection to the various existing buildings. The structural systems, of laminated wood combined with metallic elements, were privileged with the objective of respecting the rural-based architecture, and in parallel fostering greater sustainability in the construction process. On the exterior cladding materials of the new volumes, the treated wood slats establish a possible dialog or even analogy with the various rural constructions that supported, in other times, the agricultural activity. In a compositional balance, with the granite stone and the wooden lath, we also selected the earth-colored zinc camarinha for finishes and for the volume of the elevator box that assumes, perhaps ironically, relevance in the form of the building, remminiscent of a bell tower. The program and functional needs consist of 17 accommodation units, a Spa with indoor pool, an outdoor pool and sunbathing deck, a thematic restaurant, lounges, winebar and other valences. The project found in the proximity and its integration within the Route of the Romanesque, in particular the proximity to the Quintã Chapel, the motto for the theme and conceptual strategy, for the design of the interior spaces, in terms of interior design development, in complete communion with the architecture project.
The memory of place was brought in and exalted in each unit, through a selection of imagery, concepts and local crafts. For this purpose, several monuments along the Route of the Romanesque were surveyed and studied, and 17 details were chosen for the theme and name of each unit. The furnishing and decoration comprised of a curation of pieces that envoked the geometry, materiality and feel of the romanesque route and chapel – the circumference and the arch, and handcrafted wood sculptures developed by a local artisan invited in the soul and warmth of the local cluster – providing each unit with a bespoke experience. Developed within the old cellar, the restaurant and bar were built around the old winepress and granite walls, a strategic intervention achievable through bespoke pieces that preserve the existing architectural features.
