The Timeless Nature of Stone This project emerges from the privileged setting of existing ruins, shaping the conditions that unfold a new architectural narrative.
Project Name: Vigário House
Studio Name: AND-RÉ
Location: Portugal
Status: Built
Image Credits: Fernando Guerra FG+SG
The new structure adapts to the old stone walls, filling the interstitial spaces, unifying the mass, and providing a contrasting backdrop against the rough stone surfaces— the protagonists of this dialogue between past and present.
The ruins remain the central element of the composition, while the new intervention act as a silent ally, a neutral stage that enhances the presence of the pre-existing stone. At the same time, the contemporary addition respects the nostalgia and historical depth of the site, ensuring its memory is preserved rather than lost to oblivion. It does not compete with the past but rather harnesses its geometry, textures, and visual properties to create a renewed spatial experience.
Time This project embraces sustainability not only through environmental considerations but also by honoring the past and the memory of the place. The goal was to create an architecture that endures, carrying forward the narrative of history and projecting it into the future. Time is a constant presence. Architecture here is not immediate; it is not fully grasped at first glance. Instead, it unfolds gradually, requiring time to be experienced, to reveal its hidden layers and intricate details. Space is perceived in fragments—through its textures, corners, shadows, and fleeting moments. As time passes, the house continues toreveal new surprises—changing with the hours of the day and shifting through the
seasons.
The architecture transforms under the sunlight, sometimes touching the stone walls with a soft and diffuse glow, other times illuminating them with intensity and warmth. Inside, space evolves with the interplay of moving shadows, drawn across the interiors as tangential light filters through the skylights, adding another dimension to this ever-evolving spatial experience.
