Mansard Building Renovation, Portugal heritage design, Portuguese architecture photos
Mansard Building Renovation in Portugal
24 October 2024
Architecture: Tisem
Location: Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Photos by Ivo Tavares Studio
Mansard Building Renovation, Figueira da Foz
This project is born from the rehabilitation of the mansards of a 19th-century building with patrimonial value, located at the top of 8 de Maio Square, in the heart of Figueira da Foz. Facing the river, the building—with 3 floors and an attic, a rectangular plan, symmetrical and regular elevations, and a three-pitched roof—occupies a privileged position in the old town. Both the roof and its structure, presenting several pathologies, represent an opportunity to rethink the layout of this floor in a profound and integrated way.
The main concerns include preserving and enhancing the space, improving its safety, performance, and comfort, optimizing the habitable area on this top floor to make a profit on the investment in its conservation, and establishing a harmonious dialogue between the new and the existing.
Based on these, the basic assumptions for the project were defined as follows:
– To favor views over the square and the river;
– To rebuild the roof in the image of the existing one, with three roof waters in Marseille tile and a hidden gutter;
– To conceive the new structure without compromising the existing one, stabilizing it to increase the lifespan of the building;
– To use the new structure—its geometry, rhythm, metrics, and material—as a design theme for the interior architecture and to increase the usable height of spaces;
– To introduce light and fresh air into the dwellings without compromising the overall harmony of the building, through the opening of zinc-coated mansard windows, aligned with the windows on the lower floors;
– To reinforce the wooden structure of the top floor where necessary and rebuild the hardwood floor as original.
The project redesigns the access to the mansard floor—stairs and elevator—and divides the floor plan into two apartments: a two-room apartment with an open-plan living room and kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, and storage; and a three-room apartment with a similar layout, adding another bedroom and more space in the living room and kitchen for a kitchen island.
Both apartments have living rooms facing south, overlooking the square and river, while other spaces face west or east. The interior is characterized by the rhythm of the roof’s structural grid, luminous windows, and natural wood finishes. The architecture remains simple and unpretentious, reflecting the vision, art, and technique of its time, ensuring continuity while writing a new chapter in the building’s history.
Mansard Building Renovation, Portugal – Building Information
Architect: Tisem – https://tisem.pt/
Project Name: 8th of May Square Mansards
Main Architect: Diana Bizarro
Email: diana.bizarro@tisem.pt; geral@tisem.pt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tisem.lda/
Location: Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Year of Conclusion: 2022
Total Area: 200 sq. m. – 3rd floor intervened
Builder: APmanos, Barrôconstroi
Engineering & Consultants: Tisem – Emanuel Lopes, Fernando Ferreira
Project Manager: Miguel Jordão
Light Design: Albano Gonçalves
Structural Engineer: SILVAS – Rui Rodrigues
Inspection: Estimativa Curiosa – Patrícia Silva
Safety: Genialmed – Vasco Parente
Acoustic Design: Tisem – Daniela Nicolau
Fluids Engineering: Tisem – Daniela Nicolau
Thermal Engineering: Atelier-42 – Cristina Pires
Interior Design: Susana Pires
Photography: Ivo Tavares Studio
Mansard Building Renovation, Portugal images / information received 241024 from Ivo Tavares Studio
Location: Figueira da Foz, Portugal, southwestern Europe
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