Construction in Steel Structure and Composite Panels
Set on the highest point of a 12.000m2 plot of land located in Santo da Serra village, the house with the same name as the village, has a housing program with 3 bedrooms (one of which en-suite), a living-room with kitchenette and a toilet.
The strategy of implantation allowed the space, although not very large, to increase its dimension through the visual transversality that the wide terrain makes possible. The central core comprises the social area of the house, with a living room and kitchen, and is surrounded by two large glass façades that allow the small house to unfold over the neighboring valleys and hills, and achieve a feeling of great amplitude.
To the east are the two smaller bedrooms, both served by a small porch that filters some of the light. To the west, the double suite, with bedroom, dressing area, and bathroom.
As far as materiality is concerned, a paired stone wall ties the whole house to the territory and introduces a traditional Madeiran element to a house clearly marked by a prevalence of contemporary materials such as the shiny metalized panels on the outer skin of the building.
Inside, the entire living room and kitchen are covered with light tola wood panels that contrast with the colder character of the outer metalized panels and introduce a comfort that simultaneously mirrors its bucolic and rustic surroundings.
In terms of construction, all structural and construction elements are certified, which is not the case with typical concrete structures. The construction is done in a clean and organized way, and the final result from a technical point of view is clearly superior to most houses, whether built in traditional or modular processes. Since there are no sands or mortars, there will be no cracks, and the house will not need maintenance as often as a traditional house does.
We are therefore in the presence of a very sustainable and equally efficient house, without thermal losses, in which the interior temperature never varies more than 21 to 24 degrees, whether in summer or winter, although outside, Santo da Serra temperatures can oscillate between 2 and 28 degrees.
Given the technical options, the construction process takes place in a short period of 6 months. After the indispensable concrete foundations and respective slab, the whole dry construction process is done with great precision, in which the entire structure is developed to the millimeter and placed in just 2 weeks. This is followed by the placement of the metalized panels with high density rock wool, the introduction of the aluminum frames (double glazing and thermal break), the placement of the water and electricity networks (located between the exterior panel and the interior wall), the assembly of the interior walls and, finally, all the necessary finishing touches.
