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351 Design Street

Duas amigas partilham boa arquitectura e design com uma pitada de fotografia e DIY. Tudo em três minutos ou menos. // Two friends share good architecture and design, with a dash of photography and DIY. All in 3 minutes or less

The Versatility of Microcement

I was invited by Nanocrete participate in a Microcrete microcement workshop and, seeing at 351 Design Street we have a particular interest in concrete (Marta wrote a post about this material here) and its multiple uses, I accepted the challenge.
Microcement allows for minimalistic results that are similar to cement and is currently being used extensively due to the contemporary language it conveys to architecture and design. Aesthetics, functionality and the quick application method, make this material a good choice for spaces in need of renovation, especially if the floor or the walls are to be replaced without removing the existing ones.
With a wide color palette, this material is used in interiors and exteriors, and can be applied on the several surfaces, such as wood, MDF boards, tile or even glass. It does not need expansion joints (except when applied on a material that needs these joints), it is water and grease resistant and has low weight.
The versatility of the material allows that extraordinary environments and design pieces be created: the floors and kitchen counters, as in the restaurant Conceito in Estoril (Portugal), or 1300 Taberna at the LXFactory, Lisbon (Portugal); in bathrooms or decoration details, as can be seen in the bas-relief letters in the Hotel Casa do Conto, in Porto (Portugal) designed by the Pedra Líquida architecture collective or in the extraordinary The Initiation project, designed by Wei Yi Design Associates.
Microcrete is a brand among several others in the market, but this one, not only does it give everyone interested the opportunity to participate in a workshop to get to know the product, but it can also state they are 100% Portuguese!

Ana

Hotel Casa do Conto designed by Pedra Líquida architecture collective
Restaurant Conceito
Via https://www.caras.sapo.pt
1300 Taberna
Via mesamarcada.blogs.sapo.pt
Color scheme for microcement
Via http://www.microcementuk.info

21:20

Contemporary meets traditional at Villa Extramuros


While visiting the castle of Arraiolos, I notice a somehow distant white building. It's Villa Extramuros, designed by Voar Arquitectura, on the outskirts of Arraiolos, a village in Alentejo, Portugal. 
I drive through a dirt road and, after a while, I reach an olive grove through which I can see a two-floor contemporary building with cork-lined walls and ceilings that bolster the volume of the white walls. 
“The architecture of the Villa, inspired by Roman camps as well as by medieval convents […] pays homage to the characteristic materials of Alentejo: white marble stone, white-washed walls and cork”, as mentioned in their webpage. 
I am welcomed by one the owners, a Parisian man that has settled in Alentejo, that guides me through the common areas: a patio that, as with medieval cloisters, joins the areas that surround it; a dinning area; a lounging area; and five rooms that are located in the upper floor (and which I could not visit seeing they were occupied). In the exterior, one can easily be enthralled by the tranquility of the olive grove and the infinity swimming pool overlooking the Castle of Arraiolos.
The strategy used in the decoration is also very interesting, as it combines design from the 50s to today, with local crafts.

Ana

Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/
Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/
Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/
Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.wallpaper.com
Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/
Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.wallpaper.com
Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/
Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via http://www.wallpaper.com
Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.wallpaper.com
Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.wallpaper.com
Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.archdaily.com

18:48

Cabanas no Rio

Approximately an hour south of Lisbon, Portugal, and five minutes away from the Comporta beach, on the banks of the Sado River are these two cabins with 14m2 each. One features the bedroom and en-suite bathroom with a shower (which can be used indoors or outdoors); the other, a living room and a small kitchen for light meals. There’s also a small porch with amazing river views.
Cabanas no Rio (in English, Cabins on the River), were once fishermen’s huts. The reinterpretation project took place in 2013 and was designed by Aires Mateus, architects. The construction is entirely in reclaimed timber, including most of the furniture, and the whole structure was built off-site and transported by a truck.
The timber was purposely left exposed and therefore subjected to the weather that will keep on changing it. For the Architects this means not degradation but an identity change.
And you can even spend the night here. Cabanas no Rio is a great complement to the region, well-known for its white-sand beaches, wine, food and dolphin, stork and flamingo watching.

Marta.












Photos by Nelson Garrido

21:13