House on the City Walls / PAr Plataforma de ARquitectura + Rita Alves M arch

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In result, the project combines the excellence of the ancestral natural materials and constructive systems, while achieving a lightful, inviting and amusing house.Text description provided by the architects.In the ancient center of a village by the sea, a centenary house was built leaning against the medieval defensive wall. This building grew by adding and suppressing spaces to the depth of the old wall, which was the starting point of the project. The intervention did not intend to sum area to the existing, but to invent new spaces inside the building, while convoking its own medieval spirit.The material solutions reinforced the medieval spirit of the project: counters, benchs, showers and basins were shaped in massive limestone elements; exposed solid wood boards were used in the ceilings, doors and shutters; all hardware and hanging rods are in natural brass; stuccos and paints are lime based; and the windows present slim iron frames.All rooms received a new role. A kitchen inhabited a generous room, with cabinets that add depth to the wall and counters that recess, in a succession of arches and niches. From the reunion of three rooms, a double-height library was born, linking two floors in its volume through a playful brass stair. New space connections were created to bring fluidity and natural light to the communal rooms, while the private rooms improved the feeling of intimacy. Fireplaces and candle lights warm all of the rooms, in a sustainable and comfortable way.The furniture was designed or selected specifically to strengthen the project, especially the heavy elements of solid wood.