Rural rehabilitation

Pomar das Oliveiras

Location: Carvalhal do Troviscal, Sertã
Type: Rural rehabilitation
Programme: Private home and rural stay
Status: Completed
Scope: Assessment, design, licensing, construction support, activation
Year: Not yet published
Area: Not yet published

Project statement

A rural house and its olive terraces, rehabilitated as a family home that also receives guests. The work keeps the existing footprint and reorganises the interior around light, cross-ventilation and the relationship with the garden.

This project can be experienced as a stay: Pomar das Oliveiras

Existing condition

An existing dwelling on a terraced plot planted with olive trees, partially refurbished but dated in its layout, ammenities, comfort and thermal performance.

Project ambition

A house that works for permanent living and that can also be used for short lets. Generous shared spaces, two bedrooms, and an outdoor area that can be used across the seasons with a swimming pool, olive trees and an ever green grass garden.

Constraints

Rural location with limited local contractor availability; existing structure, outdoor works coordinated existing olive trees and neighbouring argriculture land.

Design response

The plan is simplified rather than extended. Living spaces face the garden, service areas are grouped, and the outdoor programme - pool, terrace, fire pit - is placed on the existing terraces so the topography does the work.

Material strategy

Material choices follow what can be sourced and maintained locally: masonry walls with mineral finishes, timber joinery and hard-wearing floors. In this project, the original schist stone walls were already covered. To compensate this we've used schist in pavements as well as 4 massive schist pillars to preserve the original look and feel.

Before and after

Before