Monte da Azarujinha

Project Description

I say that he who, without betraying the constraints of the modern programme or materials, produces a work that seem to have always existed – that is, in a word, banal – may consider himself a man well satisfied .
August Perret

The 140-hectare property is located on the outskirts of Azaruja village, Évora district. This vast plain is characterised by cork trees and the small buildings that punctuate the landscape, making it distinct and humane. A century-old agricultural building was to be refurbished and enlarged, in order to accommodate a small tourism establishment.
The existing superfluous extensions were demolished, pursuing a quest for lightness and simplicity. The spatial usage aimed to follow the existing territory – informal and with no barriers. Boundaries are eliminated, making it possible to circulate from space to space. The interior and exterior, naturalness and the natural become one. In order to ensure an unobstructed symbiosis of the building and the terrain, the windows slide into the walls, framing the views out like paintings from the inside, and opening up passages from the outside. The porch presents itself as a connecting transition between two natural elements – a palm tree and a fig tree.

The porch calls to us on the vast plain.

Maria Ana Aboim Inglez + Ricardo Aboim Inglez

Janeiro de 2016