RUA 15, HOUSE RENOVATION, ESPINHO – PORTUGAL, 2019

THE PROJECT ADDRESSES THE RENOVATION OF A HOUSE THAT IS PART OF A COMPLEX BUILT IN THE 1980S,A LOCATED ON THE NORTHERN COAST OF PORTUGAL.

OVER THE YEARS, A NUMBER OF ADDITIONS TO THE FAÇADE HAVE COMPROMISED THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OUTDOORS AND REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF NATURAL LIGHT REACHING THE INTERIOR SPACES.

THE PROJECT BEGINS BY RETHINKING AND REUSING THESE ELEMENTS – A VERANDA AND A SMALL BATHROOM TOWER – WHICH, ONCE HOLLOWED OUT, BECOME DEVICES CAPABLE OF CAPTURING AND REDISTRIBUTING LIGHT.

THE MISTAKES, THE “WRONG” ELEMENTS OF THE ARCHITECTURE, THUS BECOME CENTRAL FEATURES, TURNING INTO KEY POINTS OF A NEW CONDITION IN WHICH THE DOMESTIC INTERIOR MERGES WITH THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT.

Collaborators: Yiyuan Shi
Photos: © Marco Cappelletti