A Minimalist Chalet - The Three Cusps Chalet
Winner of the 2016 American Architecture Prize, the Three Cusps Chalet is a very peculiar building, which documents the history and diaspora of this region, and combines typical 19th century Portuguese architecture and urban design with an unexpected Alpine influence.
This influence was brought by a historic wave of wealthy Portuguese who returned from Brazil in the eighties (significantly influenced by the Central Europeans who built the second industrial revolution in Brazil).
Designed as an annex to serve the small palace next door and situated in the heart of Braga's Roman and medieval walls, this is a particularly sunny building with two fronts, one facing the street to the west and the other facing a wonderful courtyard facing this, enjoying natural light all day long.
The objective of this project was to give a new life to the building, returning it to its original image while adjusting it to the current way of living and potentially constituting a model for future rehabilitation projects in the neighborhood.
The facade was restored to its original glory, restoring the original wooden window frames and preserving the decorated eaves.
Given the small area of the building, an original strategy of organizing spaces by floor was followed. The stairs are narrower with each flight.
"In the most basic sense, our option was to recover the original building and its functions, but with a subtlety beyond a simple restoration. Something that could return the building to a new function, to a use, today, to the street, to the city and with enough flexibility to maintain it for another 120 years." - Tiago do Vale - Architect.
