As Pousadas do Norte de Portugal. Um projeto sustentável para Sernancelhe

Abstract

A PROJECT... A PATRIMONY...A SITE... Here, the project proposition consists in the construction of a Sustainable Lodge for the Vila da Ponte parish in the county of Sernancelhe. It will be associated with a nautical sport program due to the deep requalification of the Távora river, one of the site's limits. The research process inherent to this kind of projet will require the gathering of data related to the origins of «Lodge» concept, on what it consists and what are the adaptations made through the years. The Pousadas de Portugal are an architectural patrimony with no more than 80 years of History. They were driven by tourism during a time in which the hotel business was controlled by the Palaces. These small lodge solutions made possible to visit less explored touristic sites and they give the opportunity to the middle class to stay in sober facilities, less expensive and with the comfort of their own homes. Nowadays, the Lodges have taken new paths. They are part of national monuments, transformed into buildings with the image of the Grupo Pestana, sold to private companies or they are even in an advance state of degradation, most of them lost their character and there are few that still provide the living experience proposed from the beginning. It has become fundamental to outline its paths to carry out with more accuracy the project we propose to achieve at the end of this research. We were driven by the sustainable matters of our buildings. The fact that this sector has the most potential for the reduction of CO2 emissions, we were pursued to explore the roots of sustainable construction. When designing, it is of the utmost importance to take into consideration our environmental impact. It is up to us, architects to protect the environment and it would be irresponsible not to consider the new developments achieved by this sector when designing new buildings. Therefore in this research, we present construction guidelines more environmental friendly that will be illustrated and tested in the new Lodge for Sernancelhe.