Portugal. An industrial facility overlooking a dam

The name of the mountain village of Ermida, in midland Portugal, means ‘small church’ or ‘chapel’. Pedro Geraldes’ takes this suggestion for the design of POC Ermida, an industrial facility for EDP, an energy company, surrounded by a forest. The intention was to evoke the local traditional constructions with pitched roofs.

The building is located on an elevated plot since the very function of the facility consists in controlling and observing the nearby dam on the Vouge river. The structure appears as a continuous concrete shell which texture is determined by the wooden formwork that gives it a rough finish. The front facade is characterised by a deep portal and completed by an opaque blue aluminium and two glazed doors. The rear elevation faces the dam and responds to the technical needs of the building through a floor to ceiling glass facade close to the perimeter of the concrete structure.