Tea House, Montemor-o-Velho Castle
Inside Montemor-o-Velho Castle we find a contemporary space that is reoccupying the former Paço das Infantas (Princesses' Palace)
It is believed that the paço (palace) of Montemor-o-Velho was first built in the 12th century. It is now well established that the paço was the object of a dispute, at the beginning of the 13th century, between Dom Afonso III and his sisters, Infantas Dona Teresa, Dona Sancha and Dona Mafalda. The current name of the place – Paço das Infantas - originates from this quarrel. Its ruins rise well above the southeast walls of the castle, overlooking the river Mondego’s valley.
The proposal for the construction of a Tea House in the surrounding areas of the Paço das Infantas is the result of the analysis of the monument, attempting to clarify its historical significance by means of a contemporary use. By creating a novel pathway along the walls, the former entrance of the castle is evoked. The inner space of the ruins is occupied by a virtually weightless building, made innocuous by its geometry and the way it stands free from the surrounding ruins, which are perceived as its actual walls. The construction consists of a glass box confined by two horizontal planes – a metal roof and a wooden floor - joined together by a volume comprising the service areas. The pavement extends southeast in a platform that doubles as a terrace elevated above ground, thereby detaching the construction from its surroundings. Ultimately, this approach creates an autonomous construction, which is valued by a strong geometric and material language, simultaneously ascribing a new and coherent meaning to the ruins.
Tea House, Paço das Infantas, Montemor-o-Velho Castle, Portugal
Project year: 1997
Construction year: 1999 a 2000
Client: Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico, Montemor-o-Velho City Hall
Location: Montemor-o-Velho Castle, Portugal
Architecture
Author: João Mendes Ribeiro
Collaboration: Carlos Antunes, Cidália Silva, Desirée Pedro, José António Bandeirinha, Manuela Nogueira, Pedro Grandão
Engineering
Structural Engineer: Raimundo Mendes da Silva
Hydraulic Engineer: Raimundo Mendes da Silva
Electrical Engineer: Marcos Pinguinha
Mechanical Engineer: Isabel Sarmento
Archeology: Artur Corte Real
Stone Conservation and Restoration: Fernando Marques
Contractor: A. Ludgero Castro
Photography: Edgar Martins, João Mendes Ribeiro
