Paradinha Cabins, Arouca Portugal, Portuguese Building Development, Architecture Images
Paradinha Cabins, Arouca Portugal
20 July 2022
Architects: SUMMARY
Location: Porto, northern Portugal

Photos © Fernando Guerra_FG+SG
Paradinha Cabins, Portugal
Considering the roughness and the remoteness of the Paradinha Cabins plot it would be difficult (and extremely expensive) to assemble construction yards for a traditional building. Thus, in this case, resorting to prefabricated structures was not just a choice, but the only efficient option we had to simplify the building process within such conditions.

The initial commission was to distribute several touristic rooms over the terrain. However, we proposed small houses – not just rooms – so that some of them would be able to work as full-time houses rather than tourism units. Mixing these two different programs (tourism + housing) we ensure that this complex will not have a seasonal occupation, being inhabited during the whole year and not just in the vacation period. This multifunctional approach promotes the intensity of this complex?s occupation, therefore fostering its frequent maintenance and improving the security of the area.
This project was an opportunity to make new experiences within the Gomos building system: in each house, all the technical installations (water, electricity and climatization) were concentrated in just one module and extended to the other models externally. This procedure was standardl...