Casa no Campo Novo
Initially in an advanced state of disrepair, this three-storey house was the subject of an exhaustive rehabilitation project, with the aim of becoming a private residence. As it is a listed building of high heritage value, the work focused essentially on remodeling its interior, although, at the client's request, two fundamental changes were made to the main façade in order to adapt the building to the needs of contemporary life for a young couple: the carefully studied transformation of a window on the first floor into a garage door, and the extension and upgrading of the existing mansard. The entire intervention was carried out without compromising the traditional elements that made it unique.
The building has a simple internal layout that makes the most of the existing house's features, particularly with regard to the load-bearing walls, the main stairwell and the openings.
On the first floor, the main access maintains the existing door and the beautiful granite slab and stone steps that lead to the stair hall, where you can access the upper floors, the laundry room (hidden under the stairs), a “multipurpose” living room on the right and, finally, the garden on the patio. The stairs, which were in an advanced state of decay and deterioration of the wood, were rebuilt respecting the original layout, including the repair of existing elements such as steps and handrails and the reproduction of the damaged parts according to the pre-existing thicknesses and dimensions; all the new elements were made from solid pine wood. The stairs reach the second floor in a hall with great dignity and plenty of natural light that distributes to the kitchen, the living room and a pre-existing balcony with access to the lower garden.
This is the social floor, with the kitchen separated by a core of cupboards and swing doors from the dining room. The living room opens onto the dining room and an office, the design of which helps to regularize the geometry of the first floor. The pre-existing configuration of the accesses to the kitchen area and staff quarters, which were originally on the top floor, results in an area with lower ceilings and a direct connection to the outside, the balcony and the granite staircase at the back, which leads down to the garden. Thus, this area connecting the living room to the staircase was used, by redesigning the pre-existing balcony over the garden, to also design a fireplace with a volume that conceals a bathroom to support the social area, which exists in this passage. These large openings from the dining room to the living room and from the living room to the office are made through wide doors, but which adopt a language analogous to that of the house, with frames and skirting boards in harmony with the whole.
The top floor is where the bedrooms are; the staircase also leads to a well-lit and ventilated hallway with windows overlooking the garden, which gives access to the single bedroom area with its own antechamber and a full bathroom shared by both. The couple's suite has a very original configuration, as it makes use of the aforementioned service distribution area from the old features.
The architectural refurbishment was guided by respect for the existing details and, since this is a listed building of great architectural interest, no attempt was made to alter its character. Even the new doors that were opened were designed in the same way as the others, with “cushions” or wooden slats, and the remaining window frames were only restored where possible, or redone while maintaining the same design. The character of the building was safeguarded while ensuring the quality of the contemporary elements introduced.
