nuno ribeiro lopes: cancela do porco

‘cancela do porco’ by nuno ribeiro lopes all images courtesy nuno ribeiro lopes

‘cancela do porco’, are small residential units which have been renovated by portuguese architect nuno ribeiro lopes.

the traditional image has been reconstructed in apparent basalt stone masonry, with tile coverage over a wooden structure and painted wooden window frames. with low volumes, long and broken, crowned by metallic elements, contemporaneity is introduced.

near the regional road that connects magdalena to s. roque and in the periphery of the main core of bandeiras, an abandoned canada (rural road) pointing to the mountain provides access to a limited size land where different buildings can be found in ruins.

from the old construction, as elements which survived earthquakes and the passage of time, a warped front with a window overlooking the canada, some stairs, a chimney above a wall and a counter remain.

taking advantage of the image of the main building and the pre-existing deployment, two buildings housing three, one bedroom residential units and a common area around the pork place were drawn, thus creating a small tourist complex, where the constructive elements of traditional architecture are being reinterpreted more or less freely.

small but essential differences take place between the two buildings that are associated with volume, scale and function maintenance, and keep alive the memory of the hierarchical organization of the site.

open to st. george island and facing the pico mountain, the small residential units relate differently to the outside through private or semi-private areas, grassed or paved, all bounded by stone walls, hiding or leading the eye to partial views of proximity, or global ones on the horizon.

vineyards delimit the land to the north by introducing the necessary transition between a leisurely landscape and a rural landscape naturalized by abandonment and by goats grazing on neighboring lands.

project info: location: pico island, azores – portugal client: ancoradouro, lda project date: 2007 construction date: 2008/2009 engineering: alberto pinto zorro program: tourism – country cottages