SHORT DESCRIPTION

The only flat and open area of the steeped village of Piódão is given back its dignity as welcoming lobby and gathering place. What was previously a parking lot has been redesigned, paved and partially shaded using traditional materials and techniques. The space was given back to its people following their material and constructive culture. The project rehabilitates and reconfigures a square and the tourist office building of Piódão. The village of Piódão is located in the Serra do Açor, central Portugal. Its schist houses traversed by steep and narrow streets form an amphitheatre on a northwest-facing escarpment. In its lower part, the Cónego Manuel Fernandes Nogueira square is the only open, flat and unobstructed space and serves as the main access to the village. Over the years, the space has been occupied by cars as a parking lot. The project returns the space to the people as the gathering room of the village, favouring exchange and social interaction. The materials and constructive solutions used both in the tourism office building and in the square came from the place. There is, therefore, a certain feeling that nothing was done, that it has always been as it is.