This house belongs in a rural context of a northern Portuguese village, whose typology reflects this condition, present in the clear separation between the ground floor, denominated “Loja” (place for the animals and food supplies), and the upper floor, the space to inhabit. The ground floor was once destined to store the agricultural crops, and in the face of the abandonment of agricultural practices its state of conservation was neglected. The upper floor continued to have the function of housing, where a logic of compartmentalization of the space was dominat, resulting in the sprawl of corridors and interior divisions, with any direct natural lighting.
Our intervention begins by clarifying the interior paths of the house at the level of the upper floor, hierarchizing the spaces, giving them a sequence that fits the family routines, and withdrawing compartments in order to create more generous areas for the family life. It is proposed a redesign of the connection to the lower floor, providing a new staircase so that the lower area of the house could be part of the routine of inhabiting, with a program intended essentially for leisure.
Regarding the interior materiality’s, the house has two identities in result of its characteristics and history, which we resolve to maintain and explore.
In the exterior image of the house, the changes were minimal resulting in the replacement of the window frames and the harmonization of the colors of the façade walls.
In the main entrance outer space, the living area was redesigned, and in the backyard was added a small building extension for outside family meals. The surrounding free areas were treated in order to allow their use as a space of delight.
