Monte Gordo

The site is located on the south edge of Portugal, in Monte Gordo, the last seaside village before entering Spain. With an extensive and beautiful beach, a mild climate and several pedestrian zones in Portuguese pavement, Monte Gordo is one of the main tourist destinations in Algarve. With a contemporary drive, presenting new possibilities and cutting-edge opportunities, the intervention aims the creation of touristic apartments, with different typologies, where guests can benefit from multiple ‘hotel services’ while enjoying the comfort of a ‘like home’ apartment. The Arabic occupancy and fishing history references are visible in some patterns of the building’s design. The proposal assumes some neutrality in the colour settlement as a response to Monte Gordo’s context and buildings that show different formal grammars and colours.

Simple and timeless materials are used. In the exterior, all the building is perceived as a white mass with different reflections and shades of white. The railings in the balconies have a metallic mesh that relates to the local fishing history. On the balconies, the principle of biophilia is assumed by small vessels containing different autochthonous species of cactus. On the terraces and exterior pool area, some zones of grass are intertwined with bushy areas to increase privacy from the public realm. A very simple facade is displayed as a first envelope, by repeating the same window and wall unit, while a 2nd envelope of built off-site pre-fabricated modules are assembled in correlation and alternation. The construction strategy is a carefully thought solution to the less favourable geological conditions. The project uses modern construction methods that respond in adequacy to the specificity of the place, in a surprising way.