Casa NaMora is a combination of contemporary and traditional elements, in harmony with the surrounding natural environment. The project has sought to respect the existing characteristics of the property and the surrounding area, using local materials such as stone, concrete, steel and wood.
The new section of the house, made up of two concrete volumes, blends naturally with the pre-existing granite house, maintaining a rustic and sober atmosphere, typical of rural buildings in the area. Inside, the spaces are conceived in a minimalist way, with particular attention to natural light and panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.
Located in the natural shelter of a valley at the foot of the Serra da Estrela, near the parish of Gonçalo, in a place known locally as Mora, this agricultural property has an area of approximately 18 hectares and is surrounded by a dense pine forest .
The property has been well preserved over the years thanks to agricultural activities. In the center stands a modest granite pre-existence built in the mid-XNUMXth century, from which the new project began. In order not to interrupt agricultural activities, it was decided to separate the old from the new when designing the house. The final result, with the extension of the existing house, was the result of a compromise between the wishes of the owners and the existing characteristics and morphology of the land, characterized by the presence of several terraces.
In a natural way, two new concrete volumes were created and implanted in an existing terrace, closely linked to the pre-existing granite one, allowing for a natural and fluid development of the local agricultural activity.
The name NaMora has a double meaning in Portuguese. It refers to the location of the project, where 'Na Mora' would translate to 'A Mora' (Mora is where the property is located), but 'namora' in Portuguese literally means 'flirting' or 'date'. Thus, in a place called Mora, the NaMora house was born, where the concrete volumes that form the new part of the house formally "flirt" with the existing granite body, in total harmony with the surrounding environment.
The project has been clearly divided into two distinct but complementary elements: the storage, the technical area, the functional sanitary systems and the kitchen are located in the pre-existence and are entirely dedicated to the farm's activities, while the living room, the bedrooms, the suite and outdoor leisure space are part of the new section of the house.
Inside, the neutrality given by the simplicity and purity of the materials and the illusion of the absence of details has been sought. The idea of interiority translates into openings towards strategically positioned landscapes, frames and courtyards.
The scale of the intervention and the natural identity of the site have always been taken into consideration in the choice of construction approach and materials: stone, concrete, steel and wood. Inside, the whiteness and comfort of the wood are balanced with the rough and austere presence of the concrete. Outside, stone and concrete are carved alike, in a reinterpretation of the vernacular architecture of this region.
In summary, the style of Casa NaMora could be defined as a mix between tradition and modernity, a combination of contemporary and traditional elements integrated in a sensitive and balanced way with the surrounding natural environment.
project info
Project name: NaMora house
Main Architect: Filipe Pina + David Bilo
Website: www.fp-a.pt/, www.dbarquitectos.pt/
Location: Gonçalo – Guarda – Portugal
Year of conclusion: 2022
total area: 320m2
Project Team: Filipe Pina, David Bilo, Diana Cruz
Builder: MPS
Architectural photographer: Ivo Tavares Studio
Website : www.ivotavares.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ivotavaresstudio
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ivotavaresstudio
Materials used in the Casa NaMora project:
- Aleluia Cerâmica: cladding for sanitary installations
- Efapel: electrical equipment
- Anicolor: fixtures
- Pedra e decoração: decorative stone
- Salamander Girofocus: wood stove
- Norm - lighting.
