MJARC Arquitetos was invited to renovate a building that has been a feature of the Santa Comba Dão landscape for over 20 years. Situated on the slopes of the Dão River, the pre-existing building only had its structure and was never completed. In this sense, the main objective of the renovation was to reuse and revitalize the existing structure, avoiding demolition and starting over. Given its privileged location, the aim was also to reduce the mass of the Riverside building, opening it up to the landscape.
The residential building, with 4 floors above ground, consists of 28 two- and three-bedroom apartments. The old apartments were altered, adapting them to new functions, and the balconies were reconfigured by cutting them out. In this way, it was possible to maintain more than 90% of the original structure, including beams, columns and slabs, and 75% of the original core, resulting in embodied carbon savings, which is in line with the sustainable construction practices that guided the project.
The building’s façade was clad in bamboo wood from responsible forests, with international LEED, BREEAM and FSC certifications.
To reduce the building’s energy consumption, photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof, which were dimensioned to ensure energy supply to all common indoor and outdoor spaces.
Dual-flush taps and toilets were installed to reduce water consumption inside the building to ensure high water efficiency. Outside, irrigation needs were reduced because the landscaping project prioritized native or adapted species with lower water needs.
These choices increase the commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. In addition, the building’s zinc roof creates shaded areas in the terrace areas, reinforcing the horizontality of the structure. On the one hand, the original structure was reused, and on the other, the building was given a contemporary image, in which the indoor spaces blend into the landscape.
In the same vein, gardens and access routes to the building were created with landscaped spaces, where the road and parking area had previously been located.
The project team and developers achieved the ambitious goal of reusing the existing building to the maximum extent possible and establishing a new, high-quality standard in the adaptive reuse of the building.
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