Casa Bisalhães is a residence designed for a new family based on a pre-existing granite masonry made up of two floors, with the upper floor serving as a house, and the lower floor as a wine press and “atelier” for the production of wine. “black clay from Bisalhães”.

Bisalhães is a village located on the southern slope of the parish of Mondrões, municipality of Vila Real, in Portugal, and is famous for the Bisalhães pottery, better known as “barro preto de Bisalhães”, whose manufacture of Black Pottery was declared UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage on November 29, 2016, a manufacturing process that dates back to at least the 16th century.
Being, from the outset, “conditioned” by the existence of an abandoned and ruined building, which had once served as a home for family members and which, in a certain way, was intended to be maintained/adapted to remain as a future memory, the concept of project started from the study of the site and its history, as well as the analysis of the surroundings and characteristics of the land, which allowed us to understand the heights of neighboring buildings and the privileged views over the Serra do Alvão to the west, making it possible to predict the location exact description of each of the functions of the house.

Taking into account these premises and the characteristics of the pre-existence, it was decided to organize the house in half floors, in which the new volume incorporates part of the pre-existing volume. Thus, the house houses, on the upper floor, three bedrooms, one of which is the master bedroom. On the intermediate floor below is the office. Further down, on the ground floor, are the common areas, garage and support area and finally, on the lowest floor, is the leisure area.

The way the house was organized allows the common areas and the entrance area, as well as when leaving any room in the house, to enjoy the glamor provided by pre-existing granite and everything it represents and symbolizes for the family. . Part of the existing building was also used to create an outdoor garden surrounded by a kind of ruin towards which the office and leisure area are facing in order to provide a peaceful and charming environment.

The allusion to the “black clay of Bisalhães” is perfectly noticeable, through the color of the coverings and exterior materials in the rearmost part of the facades and inside the house.

PROJECT / CASA BISALHÃES
LOCATION / BISALHÃES, MONDRÕES, VILA REAL
ARCHITECTURE / SFA – SÉRGIO FERREIRA ARQUITETOS
RESPONSIBLE ARCHITECT / SÉRGIO FERREIRA
GROSS CONSTRUCTION AREA / 510,00M2
CONSTRUCTION YEAR / 2017