Aboim Inglez Arquitectos adds bright white extension to farmhouse in rural Portugal
Portuguese studio Aboim Inglez Arquitectos has converted and extended a century-old farmhouse near Lisbon to create a series of holiday homes overlooking the Alentejo plains (+ slideshow).
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_7.jpg)
Originally intended as a single holiday retreat for a retired couple from Lisbon, the project evolved to include a new gabled block containing five en-suite bedrooms for holidaymakers.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_23.jpg)
This addition allows the couple's family to occupy the restored farmhouse, while simultaneously running their business.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_24.jpg)
The buildings, collectively known as Monte da Azarujinha, sit on a 140-hectare property populated by cork trees on the outskirts of Azaruja, a village in Portugal's Évora district.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
"When the option of expanding the new house and designing a new building was taken, the question of insertion into the vast landscape arouse,"architects Maria Ana and Ricardo Aboim Inglez told Dezeen.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
"We felt the new building shouldn't stand out and would have to be carefully inserted on site, so as to have a peaceful relation with the old building," they added, "enhancing both at the same time, and creating a unity in harmony with the vast surroundings."
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_13.jpg)
Dealing with a non-specialised workforce, the architects decided to employ traditional construction methods and materials that give the two buildings a similar appearance.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_11.jpg)
The new white-rendered block has a reinforced concrete structure and a roof covered in white-painted tiles that contrast the traditional terracotta-coloured versions used on the original farmhouse.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_17.jpg)
Painted wooden doors and shutters complete the structure's all-white appearance, which is intended to provide inhabitants with some relief from the summer heat.
Portuguese architect and set designer João Mendes Ribeiro adopted a similarly white aesthetic for his gabled extension to a winery and spa resort in the country's Portalegre district.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_20.jpg)
"Having a white building is the most natural way of reflecting light, taking the heat away from the building," said the architects, who also used hand-painted rather than glazed tiles so as not to create a shiny appearance.
"We also wanted it to reflect the sky, but we didn't want it to glow," they explained.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_19.jpg)
Dilapidated extensions were stripped away from the existing farmhouse to create a simple gabled form that echoes the new building.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_21.jpg)
The two buildings are set at right angles to each other and connected by an L-shaped walkway, made from concrete with an exposed aggregate surface.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_12.jpg)
Inside both blocks, white plasterwork is paired with polished concrete floors and painted ceiling rafters.
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves_dezeen_936_26.jpg)
Sliding windows in aluminium frames recede into the walls to create a seamless connection with the patio, and a broad open fireplace can be used to heat the interior of the main house in winter.
Photography is by Ricardo Gonçalves.
Project credits:
Architecture: Maria Ana Aboim Inglez and Ricardo Aboim Inglez
Team: Tiago Pereira
Structural engineer: Armando Nunes Martins
Services engineer: Acribia
Quantity surveyor: Perfectus
Contractor: Casa Pro Era, Espaço Abstrato
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves-plan_dezeen_0.gif)
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves-sections_dezeen_1.gif)
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves-section-a_dezeen_2.gif)
![Monte da Azarujinha by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/03/monte-de-azarujinha-aboim-inglez-arquitectos-architecture-residential-evora-portugal-ricardo-goncalves-section-b_dezeen_3.gif)