Atlantic Houses
Atlantic Houses is the transformation and extension of a former rural dwelling with agricultural annexes, located on a coastal site overlooking the cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean, in Mosteiros, São Miguel Island.
The project begins with the careful reading of a traditional Azorean rural ensemble: a primary house aligned with the street and a constellation of agricultural volumes scattered across the plot. Rather than replacing this condition, the intervention operates through subtraction and reorganization. Later additions without architectural or cultural relevance were removed, preserving the essential character, scale and material memory of the original structures.
The strategy is rooted in the recognition of vernacular rural heritage as an active asset rather than a constraint. The existing volumes are reinterpreted and adapted to contemporary standards of comfort, allowing the complex to be converted into two autonomous units within the framework of Rural Tourism. The main house becomes a three-bedroom dwelling (T3), while the linear extension developed along the street culminates in an independent studio apartment (T0). This dual configuration reinforces both autonomy and flexibility of use, while maintaining the coherence of the ensemble.
New interventions are deliberately legible. Wood and glass articulate the added volumes, establishing a clear distinction between original masonry structures and contemporary insertions. Each body remains identifiable from the exterior, preserving the fragmented rural morphology of the site, while internally the spaces are interconnected to ensure fluid circulation and spatial continuity.
The repositioning and calibration of volumes strengthen the dialogue with the Atlantic landscape. Visual corridors towards the ocean are preserved and framed, while a protected east-facing patio is defined to shelter outdoor living areas from prevailing winds. A swimming pool and sun deck are integrated within the topography, extending domestic life towards the horizon without competing with the scale of the landscape.
Through minimal but precise gestures, Atlantic Houses reactivates a rural structure, preserving its identity while projecting it into a new cycle of use.
Project: Rural Tourism Houses
Typology: Hospitality
Year: 2023 to present
Location: : Mosteiros, São Miguel island
Surface: 300 m2
Team: Joana de Oliveira, Giacomo Mezzadri, Sabrina Sinelli, Tereza Miklusova
Atlantic Houses
Atlantic Houses is the transformation and extension of a former rural dwelling with agricultural annexes, located on a coastal site overlooking the cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean, in Mosteiros, São Miguel Island.
The project begins with the careful reading of a traditional Azorean rural ensemble: a primary house aligned with the street and a constellation of agricultural volumes scattered across the plot. Rather than replacing this condition, the intervention operates through subtraction and reorganization. Later additions without architectural or cultural relevance were removed, preserving the essential character, scale and material memory of the original structures.
The strategy is rooted in the recognition of vernacular rural heritage as an active asset rather than a constraint. The existing volumes are reinterpreted and adapted to contemporary standards of comfort, allowing the complex to be converted into two autonomous units within the framework of Rural Tourism. The main house becomes a three-bedroom dwelling (T3), while the linear extension developed along the street culminates in an independent studio apartment (T0). This dual configuration reinforces both autonomy and flexibility of use, while maintaining the coherence of the ensemble.
New interventions are deliberately legible. Wood and glass articulate the added volumes, establishing a clear distinction between original masonry structures and contemporary insertions. Each body remains identifiable from the exterior, preserving the fragmented rural morphology of the site, while internally the spaces are interconnected to ensure fluid circulation and spatial continuity.
The repositioning and calibration of volumes strengthen the dialogue with the Atlantic landscape. Visual corridors towards the ocean are preserved and framed, while a protected east-facing patio is defined to shelter outdoor living areas from prevailing winds. A swimming pool and sun deck are integrated within the topography, extending domestic life towards the horizon without competing with the scale of the landscape.
Through minimal but precise gestures, Atlantic Houses reactivates a rural structure, preserving its identity while projecting it into a new cycle of use.
Project: Rural Tourism Houses
Typology: Hospitality
Year: 2023 to present
Location: : Mosteiros, São Miguel island
Surface: 300 m2
Team: Joana de Oliveira, Giacomo Mezzadri, Sabrina Sinelli, Tereza Miklusova
