Vernacular Architecture, a housing typology in Beira Baixa

granito arquitectura

Today, vernacular architecture takes on special prominence, both in restoration works and in the construction of new buildings, using the principles of bioclimatic architecture.

Vernacular architecture is authentic and linked to a particular site.

It's character relies on the climate, the physical features of the territories, the living conditions and traditions of their inhabitants.

Although this type of architecture is nowadays widely appreciated for its beauty, its emphasis is much more on functionality rather than style.

As we travel the Portuguese territory, we discover a great variety of architectural solutions, unique to a particular region or place.

In the Beira Baixa region, where we are currently working, the following housing typology is recurrent - a building with a rectangular plan, built of local granite stone, with a double floor connected by an external staircase. Commonly with three openings, a door on the ground floor, a door and a window on the upper floor.

Examples of original buildings in good condition are rare, but it is still possible to find them. One example is our case study that follows.

This is a single-family house in Beira Baixa, a mountainous region in the central interior of Portugal, bordering the Spanish Estremadura. The climate is severe. It can snow in winter and the summer is very hot.

We estimate the house was built more than a century ago. At the time, daily life was spent outside, working the fields and grazing the animals from sunrise to sunset.

The house was the place of rest and where a daily meal was prepared and served.

The lower floor housed the animals. The upper floor was the dwelling itself, for the family.

It was an open space, commonly with a fireplace. The roof could have some "removable" tiles, to evacuate the smoke.

The large GRANITE outcrops are very striking in the landscape of Beira Baixa. GRANITE is the noble stone, characterizing the architecture of the region.

GRANITE is the main structural material in this house.

The primary structure, consisting of the pillars (cunhais), lintels and jambs, is made of larger and regular stones.

The exterior walls, approx. 60 cm thick, are part of the building structure. They were built with double GRANITE masonry panels, made of smaller irregular stones. The leftover stones, were used to fill the space between the two masonry panels.

There are no joints, the stones were put on top of each other. Overtime, the weather would cover the house with moss.

The wood is the complementary material. It is used for the beams supporting the upper floor and the roof, as well as for the doors, the window and the upper floor pavement.

In addition to eucalyptus, the wood comes from native species, such as the chestnut tree.

Most of the existing houses with this typology, have already been transformed.

We are currently working on the restoration of a house of this type. The original structure is intact, but the building has been subject to several additions over the past decades.

It has been very enriching to discover more about vernacular architecture. The process grows out of the daily architectural practice and (more importantly) by having contact with the inhabitants, descendants of the old local builders.

Text and photo credits: Margarida B. M. Borges / GRANITO arquitectura