A bright and lively apartment in Portugal

A renovation project scrupulously respects the character of the existing building without renouncing a bright brushstroke as the ‘signature’ of the contemporary work.

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portogallo 2022. Foto do mal o menos Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portogallo 2022. Foto do mal o menos

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portugal 2022 axonometry

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portogallo 2022 ground floor

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portugal 2022 first floor

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portugal 2022 second floor

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portugal 2022 section 1-1

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portugal 2022 section 2-2

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portugal 2022 section 3-3

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Chiara Testoni
18 January 2023
Beja, Portugal
Helena Botelho Arquitectura
residential
2022

This dwelling in an old building in the centre of Beja in the Alentejo region, in the southern part of Portugal, renovated by Helena Botelho Arquitectura, is a hymn to local light and colours. Set in the historic fabric of the city, the apartment is on three levels: the ground floor houses the staircase leading to the first floor, where there is a sequence of rooms interconnected without distribution – living room, kitchen and services – while the second floor includes a bedroom. The heart of the house is the living room with a double overlook, suspended like a bridge over the public street, creating a covered passage.

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portugal 2022. Photo do mal o menos

The renovation project is under the banner of a minimalist approach, respecting the typological and figurative characteristics of the historic architecture. The interior is characterised by a radiant aura: the light tones of the surfaces of walls, doors and furniture, contrasting with the rough, textured character of the natural wood floors, suggest a neutral canvas on which light joyfully reverberates.

In the living room, a bright brushstroke stands out against the immaculate background: the new staircase leading to the second floor – a white volume suspended in the void and internally painted dark red – picks up the colour of the building's original fixtures. A recognisable signature that, with its refined design and enthusiastic use of colour, elegantly and delicately points out the trace of the contemporary intervention on the pre-existing building.

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portugal 2022. Photo do mal o menos

Casa em Beja
Helena Botelho Arquitectura
Helena Botelho
Gabriele Paravati, Luca Maffei
Beja, Portugal
2022

Helena Botelho Arquitectura, Casa em Beja, Beja, Portogallo 2022. Foto do mal o menos