Vila Vicosa, Portugal
10 ha
2022
The Convent of Capuchos is originally a place of interiority, of serenity, a place to be and to share life with the community.
The planned program is a challenge for this place not only because of its extension in the built area but also because of the nature of the landscape itself, a mixture of Alentejo flatness with a momentary swell in the northern part of the terrain.
Two lines of force intersect to interweave the program of flats with the territory – the Convent and its surroundings. The first is the need to ensure that the new volume does not annul the Convent, as it has a unique heritage value that also lives from the dominance it has over the territory that surrounds it.
The second is the creation of a strong link between the new volume and the existing construction. This apparent paradox will allow a fusion of our proposal with the landscape and the Convent.
We start from the Convent and trace a wandering route that takes us to the flats through the fence routes that we punctuate with architectural events – the existing cloister, the new cloister, and the new courtyard.
This journey through the orchards intersects with a series of landscape events that aim to connect us to the land and arouse various emotions.