The Portuguese architecture firm Paulo Moreira Architectures has carried out the construction of a single-family house in Vila Nova de Gaia, in northern Portugal.

The intervention led to the complete transformation of the existing property, expanding it thanks to the addition of a new volume.

Vila Nova de Gaia is the second most populous city in Portugal, located on the left bank of the Douro River, on the opposite side of Porto. It is a famous tourist destination thanks to the many wineries for the production of Porto wine, exported worldwide, but it is also known for its sandy beaches and the typical tile houses of Portugal.
The project designed by Paulo Moreira Architectures consisted of adding a new volume, linked to the main building through materiality and homogeneous language, in order to expand the spaces available for housing. Outside, stones from the old pre-existing ruin were reused to create a connection between the main house and the new attached volume.

In the interiors, the main materials are wood for ceilings and floors, and white in the walls and in the marble used in the service rooms, which helps illuminate the environment. The spaces have been distributed in such a way that spatial fluidity is obtained, improving circulation and transparency between different floors and volumes.
 

Project description by Paulo Moreira Architectures

Casa Santa Marinha is located in a scattered peripheral area of Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal). There are a variety of different buildings in the vicinity, from detached houses with annexes at the rear to fairly nondescript residential blocks.

The plot, located on a corner, was occupied by an old ruin. Only two stone façades remained, as well as an area of empty land raised above the road.

The project required a complete transformation of the property in order to fulfil the required programme: a detached house, with a living room/kitchen, two bedrooms, study, garage and guest annexe.

The existing house was extended, adding a new volume at the garden level which backs onto the gable of the neighbouring building. The two volumes are unified by a homogeneous materiality and language, with no distinction made between new and old. They are topped by new zinc roofs with varying geometries. 

In the outdoor spaces, the stones from the old ruin were reused to create unique details and connections between the main house and the new annexe, located at opposite ends of the plot. Inside, the materials were synthesised: wooden ceilings and floors, white walls, and marble in the service areas. The new volume houses the living room and kitchen, with a glass corner creating an open relationship with the garden. 

Meanwhile, the larger volume is home to the circulation and service areas, bedrooms and study. The fluid spatiality allows circulation between the different floors and volumes, enhancing transparencies and creating a mezzanine floor with a study.

On the lower floor, there is a garage and laundry room/technical areas. There are also links to the road and to a new patio in the middle of the plot.

On the upper floor, there are two suites which communicate with the street via the existing gaps and with a terrace overlooking the rest of the plot. The toilets are clad in white marble, creating a brightness which is reinforced by the natural light from the skylights.

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Architects
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Project team
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Paulo Moreira. Hermínio Santos. Cecilia Mazzeo. Charlotte Pigozzi. Olivia Lillus. Sarah Biffa. Susana Ribeiro.
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Collaborators
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Engineer.- Armanda Santos. Technical support.- Parq Arquitectos.
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Builder
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FL Construções.
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Area
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365 sqm
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Dates
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Start of works.- 2014. Completion.- 2019.
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Photography
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Paulo Moreira Architectures is a Porto-based studio, established by architect Paulo Moreira in 2011. Paulo Moreira is PhD, The Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, London Metropolitan University (2010-18). Master of Arts with Distinction, London Metropolitan University(2008-09). Architecture degree, Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto (1998-2005). The practice develops architectural, cultural and research projects for post-boom times.

Since beginning, the studio realized additional projects and commissions, in Porto, Lisbon and elsewhere ñ residential, educational, commercial and industrial projects, as well as interventions in the public realm. In parallel, they are deeply engaged in developing research in the architectural field, notably in contexts of urban conflict and social deprivation.

Their projects and research are means through which they seek a wider intellectual endeavor. An international team of collaborators is working across Portugal and abroad, re-imagining a new role for architecture today.
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Published on: June 17, 2020
Cite: "A house built between two volumes. Casa Santa Marinha by Paulo Moreira Architectures" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/a-house-built-between-two-volumes-casa-santa-marinha-paulo-moreira-architectures> ISSN 1139-6415
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