Cais de Bagaúste

Project Description

The jetty at Bagaúste spans a broad expanse of the river Douro, tucked tightly against the turbulent riverside road. It houses the hustle and bustle of canoes and rowing boats in two perfect cabins. The café and the boathouse are both platonic and enigmatic. They reflect the westerly sun with their aluminium panels. The boathouse could be a one-bedroom hotel, as taught by Aldo Rossi.

The Cais de Bagaúste was conceived as an imperfect diptych and the two cabins, which are not aligned, are the beginning and the end… outdated archetypes in an idealised landscape. Boats on the river are accessed via floating decks or can be towed along solid ramps. The changing rooms are concealed in the café cabin. The mature trees were there already, at the foot of the sloping vineyards.

An embankment of big stones, operated by one man and his machine, guaranteed solid ground. The rest of the project was constructed on the waterside, with cautions but clear-headed daring stripped of all fantasy. The metal structure of the cabins was covered in layers of insulation, waterproofing and finally aluminium panels. To prevent the possibility of corrosion no nails or screws were used. The rainwater filters through narrow slits.