Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeErmida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, TableErmida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Bedroom, Wood, Windows, Lighting, BedErmida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Sofa, Table, WindowsErmida House / Carlos Castanheira - More Images+ 39

Oliveira do Douro, Portugal
  • Lead Architect : Carlos Castanheira
  • Project Coordinator: Isabel Carvalho
  • Collaborators: Catarina Araújo, Filipa Guedes, Sara Cabral, Mariana Mendes, Susana Oliveira, Rita Cabral
  • 3 D And Renderings: Diana Vasconcelos, Eva Martins
  • Local Architect: Mário Oliveira
  • Structural Engineering: Eng. João Almeirante
  • Hydraulic Installations: Eng. João Almeirante
  • Joinery: Risco Próprio, Lda
  • Construction: Aloísio Pinto Unipessoal, Lda
  • City: Oliveira do Douro
  • Country: Portugal
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Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Exterior Photography
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

Text description provided by the architects. As Casas da Ermida – the name I gave them because it is the name of the Place. They were there, and well, elevated above the River. The Douro River. With the construction of the Carrapatelo Dam, the River reached the lands and the Houses. Many remained down there, hidden in the waters. The classification of the Albufeira Reserved Zone was also defined by the line 50m from the River bank. Which rises and ... falls. It depends.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Exterior Photography, Windows, Garden, Forest
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

The line, drawn on paper, they told us, bites the eave of the Casa da Ermida de Baixo. It is in a classified Zone. Although in ruins, it is conditioned. The Casa de Cima is free from this rigorous line and freedom is always desired, welcomed. When I visited the Place of Ermida, I descended the ramp hoping that no vehicle would come up.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

Down there the ruins - of what were once houses where families lived - presented some details of those who know how to work with stone and create living spaces. Remains of homes that ceased to be due to the demands of modern times. Because of the beauty of the Place, it may seem strange for someone to no longer have the desire to live there. Only necessity forces leaving so much behind. What remained gave way to ruins that were gradually partially occupied by Nature. Rich in stories and histories. Unknown, but imagined.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Exterior Photography, Windows
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

Casa de Cima. What to do with what was only a memory? The new owners, excited by the beauty of the place, imagined transforming those stones into space, comfort, rest, and a gathering place for family and friends. Contemplation. The intention of the purchase implied its recovery. Or restructuring? I asked myself ... but how? I always ask myself... We cleaned what Nature had taken over, with time helping.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Image 43 of 44
Existing Ground floor plan

Gradually, the shapes of the stones, the contours of the volumes, the sun, and the light become better understood. We stabilized what existed, intervening but without altering the morphology of the old House. We reintroduced wooden structures. Here and there we risked a wider fenestration. Over the river.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Table
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG
Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Sofa, Table, Chair, Windows
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

Below, the Kitchen and the Living Room. Above, a Bedroom and a Bathroom. The volume is what it already was. The materials are the same, except for the waterproofing of the roofs, opting for laminated zinc, which better adapts to the convoluted geometry. And quality.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Sofa, Table, Windows
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG
Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Image 36 of 44
Sections
Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Countertop, Lighting, Chair, Windows
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG
Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Countertop, Chair, Windows
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

Casa de Cima - almost attached to the one below, but outside the Classified Area, about fifty-five meters from the River bank - everything seemed easier, more immediate. But in Architecture, what is immediate is treacherous. Moisture problems to solve, as it arises from the stone which is also the wall. Walls to stabilize, wooden structures - in the floors, walls, and roofs.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Bedroom, Wood, Windows, Lighting, Bed
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

One single House, but two volumes and two roofs. Trying to unite them would be a mistake. Although two Houses and two distinct Processes, they understand each other as a whole and interact volumetrically with the help of the materiality and textures of the few materials that construct and cover it; the granite tired by time, on which volumes were mounted in wood covered on the outside with slate slabs and on the inside with birch plywood.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Interior Photography, Dining room, Windows
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG
Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Image 39 of 44
Sections

The floors - interior and exterior - were covered in multicolored slate. Restructuring a ruin involves the introduction of infrastructures, once absent but now indispensable. They are there. The concern was for them to stay out of sight and close to the unnecessary. Nature was cleaned of what was invasive or excessive. It awaits the restoration of balance, which will naturally adjust to the future. Constantly.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Exterior Photography, Windows
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

Now it is possible to live there. It seemed at times that they didn't want to. Perhaps because the tip of the roof's eave is 49.5m from the River bank. Perhaps it is Planning.

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Exterior Photography, Windows, Garden
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

Porto-Istanbul, June 5, 2023. Carlos Castanheira

Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira - Exterior Photography, Windows
© Fernando Guerra | FG + SG

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About this office
Cite: "Ermida House / Carlos Castanheira" [Casa da Ermida / Carlos Castanheira] 18 Aug 2023. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1005572/ermida-house-carlos-castanheira> ISSN 0719-8884

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