Portugal. An old granery becomes a refuge for the mind

Tiago do Vale Architects has reconstructed a wooden granary in Ponte de Lima, Portugal, which is an unusual combination of three very common vernacular typologies.

Designed by Tiago do Vale Architects in Ponte de Lima, Portugal, the Dovecote-Granary is a place of serenity and introspection, where one can establish a strong connection with both nature and oneself.  This design is an unusual combination of three very common vernacular typologies (granary, dovecote, drying shed) that are still part of Portuguese collective memory.

Img.1 Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, Ponte de Lima, Portugal, 2017
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Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, foundations
Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, ground floor plan
Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, upper floor plan
Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, front elevation
Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, rear elevation
Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, side elevation
Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, section C1
Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, section C2
Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, section C3

The granary was originally built in the late XIX century. To fix the original structural fragility, a small number of cross-members was inserted in strategic locations, reflecting solutions found in buildings of similar age, construction techniques and typology. This project matrix was of a strict reconstruction with the added requirement of the most minute intervention to render it usable, enabling the minimal necessary connections inside and out. The Dovecote-Granary is now a wooden sanctuary among the tree canopies, an iconic shape in the rural landscape of the Minho region.

Tiago do Vale Architects, The Dovecote-Granary, Ponte de Lima, Portugal, 2017
  • Il granaio-colombaia
  • Ponte de Lima, Portogallo
  • Tiago do Vale Architects
  • Tiago do Vale, María Cainzos Osinde, con Maria João Araújo, Camille Martin, Eva Amor, Hugo Quintela
  • José Amorim Lima
  • 42 mq
  • 2017