Ermida Home / Carlos Castanheira

Textual content description supplied by the architects. As Casas da Ermida – the title I gave them as a result of it’s the title of the Place. They have been there, and effectively, elevated above the River. The Douro River. With the development of the Carrapatelo Dam, the River reached the lands and the Homes. Many remained down there, hidden within the waters. The classification of the Albufeira Reserved Zone was additionally outlined by the road 50m from the River financial institution. Which rises and … falls. It relies upon.

The road, drawn on paper, they instructed us, bites the eave of the Casa da Ermida de Baixo. It’s in a labeled Zone. Though in ruins, it’s conditioned. The Casa de Cima is free from this rigorous line and freedom is all the time desired, welcomed. After I visited the Place of Ermida, I descended the ramp hoping that no car would come up.

Down there the ruins – of what have been as soon as homes the place households lived – introduced some particulars of those that know how you can work with stone and create dwelling areas. Stays of houses that ceased to be because of the calls for of recent instances. Due to the fantastic thing about the Place, it might appear unusual for somebody to not have the need to reside there. Solely necessity forces leaving a lot behind. What remained gave strategy to ruins that have been step by step partially occupied by Nature. Wealthy in tales and histories. Unknown, however imagined.

Casa de Cima. What to do with what was solely a reminiscence? The brand new homeowners, excited by the fantastic thing about the place, imagined reworking these stones into area, consolation, relaxation, and a gathering place for household and associates. Contemplation. The intention of the acquisition implied its restoration. Or restructuring? I requested myself … however how? I all the time ask myself… We cleaned what Nature had taken over, with time serving to.

Regularly, the shapes of the stones, the contours of the volumes, the solar, and the sunshine develop into higher understood. We stabilized what existed, intervening however with out altering the morphology of the outdated Home. We reintroduced picket buildings. Right here and there we risked a wider fenestration. Over the river.

Under, the Kitchen and the Residin
g Room. Above, a Bed room and a Rest room. The quantity is what it already was. The supplies are the identical, aside from the waterproofing of the roofs, choosing laminated zinc, which higher adapts to the convoluted geometry. And high quality.

Casa de Cima – virtually hooked up to the one under, however exterior the Categorised Space, about fifty-five meters from the River financial institution – every thing appeared simpler, extra instant. However in Structure, what’s instant is treacherous. Moisture issues to unravel, because it arises from the stone which can be the wall. Partitions to stabilize, picket buildings – within the flooring, partitions, and roofs.

One single Home, however two volumes and two roofs. Attempting to unite them can be a mistake. Though two Homes and two distinct Processes, they perceive one another as an entire and work together volumetrically with the assistance of the materiality and textures of the few supplies that assemble and canopy it; the granite drained by time, on which volumes have been mounted in wooden lined on the surface with slate slabs and on the within with birch plywood.

The flooring – inside and exterior – have been lined in multicolored slate. Restructuring a spoil includes the introduction of infrastructures, as soon as absent however now indispensable. They’re there. The priority was for them to remain out of sight and near the pointless. Nature was cleaned of what was invasive or extreme. It awaits the restoration of stability, which is able to naturally alter to the longer term. Always.

Now it’s doable to reside there. It appeared at instances that they did not wish to. Maybe as a result of the tip of the roof’s eave is 49.5m from the River financial institution. Maybe it’s Planning.

Porto-Istanbul, June 5, 2023. Carlos Castanheira