The proposal by Atelier DRK develops with volumes rooted in tradition, which, in turn, acquire a sense of contemporary style through bold cantilevered additions and openings towards the surrounding mountains, framing the views and integrating light, aromas, and natural sounds into the interior.
For its construction, a limited palette of materials was chosen, seeking simplicity and precision. The original structures were preserved and rebuilt using schist, a stone typical of the region, and an exposed concrete structure was used for the cantilevered volume.
“TerraSense” is designed as a retreat where its occupants can rest, immersed in the silence and unhurried pace of its environment.
TerraSense Mountain Charm Retreat by Atelier DRK. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.
Project description by Atelier DRK
In the heart of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, the need emerged to breathe new life into two pre-existing buildings, reshaping them to welcome the TerraSense Mountain Charm Retreat, a rural tourism and hotel experience.
Embraced as a life’s calling by the hotel’s owners, the project sought to marry a pursuit of exceptional spatial quality with the raw, untouched beauty of its surroundings — a place marked by silence, solitude, and the strict regulations that come with being in a zone of highest environmental protection.
Thus was born the guiding idea: a contemporary reimagining of the traditional mountain house. Preserving the soul of the original structures, rebuilt in schist — the emblematic stone of the region — the design introduces a new architectural language. With restraint and precision, it uses the fewest possible materials, articulating a single, deliberate gesture that clearly marks the moment of this new intervention, while honoring the layers of time embedded in the place.
Inside, the spaces still carry echoes of the former houses, yet they are transformed — redefined by new relationships, unexpected transitions, and a refined spatial choreography. Each hotel accommodation unit, whether in the main house or the separate villa, is conceived as a unique world, offering its own intimate way of inhabiting the landscape.
Paradoxically, the challenges posed by the site and its protected status became the project’s greatest allies. The resulting volumes, grounded in tradition through the use of schist, gain a sense of contemporaneity through bold cantilevered additions in exposed concrete. These gestures open wide the architecture to the surrounding mountains — framing views, inviting in light, scent, and sound — and allowing the interiors to be fully immersed in the natural rhythm of this extraordinary place.
A space not just to stay, but a hotel retreat to dwell in quiet contemplation and deep, unhurried enjoyment.
