Restoration

This rehabilitation assumes, without any modesty, its conservatism. This building, being a legacy of exceptional quality and extremely well preserved for having been in continuous use, always by the same family from the middle of the 19th century until the beginning of the 21st century, the challenge was to reconcile the preservation of the existing with new uses and the introduction of infrastructure. The intervention plan involved rehabilitating the entire existing structure, including wooden beams and granite masonry walls, the skylight and preserving the original decorative plaster and carpentry.

Understanding the significant heritage value of the Symmons Plains homestead, our clients approached the project with a clear vision; to restore the aging original buildings, then introduce functional, contemporary elements that would remain sensitive to the 19th-century architecture.

Located high on the Cosme Velho neighborhood, the Itamonte Garage project was guided by the flexibility of the program and spaces. The 70m² area, previously used as a large warehouse, had only one room, a small bathroom, and a garage with poor lighting and ventilation. Aiming to accommodate a craft beer brewery, the space was modified, becoming one large room with an open kitchen, one suite, one bathroom, and a utility room.

The convent of San Andrés was one of the most praised buildings in Salamanca until its destruction in the mid-19th century. Only small service units attached to the main construction have survived to this day, consisting of a trade house with sheds and a notable ice pit, built during the 18th century. Given the general deterioration and the wish to incorporate the existing remains into the city’s tourist offer, the project is drafted, with the aim of integrating the various existing disconnected elements into an orderly, logical and attractive route: the ice pit, a section of the wall, the sheds, the rest of the northeast tower of the convent and access to the underground galleries. Ceramic materials were chosen to be used as a conductive thread, in the form of tiles, bricks in floorings and lattices and roof tiles, as this is the pre-existing material that has been preserved in some areas, endowed with great expressive value and reflecting a long tradition.

Understanding architecture and the city as a support for life, as a scenario that generates and makes possible different relationships and lifestyles, is the principle that guides the interventions we make from Fent Estudi. The way we approach rehabilitation and regeneration, which constitutes almost the whole of our experience at both urban and domestic levels, responds to a respectful approach, a listening-based analysis and an intervention that emphasizes what remains. During this process the inhabitants are the protagonists and all the project effort goes towards building a unique home for a unique way of life.