"Relax, Taste, See". A hotel project in a Portuguese vineyard

Dobrawa Bies

12 of November '21

A fragment of the swimming pool at the Monte d'Oiro Hotel

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Aneta Klementowska, Katarzyna Lech and Maja Pacek, architecture students at the Wrocław University of Technology, designed a hotel surrounded by a picturesque vineyard and Portuguese nature. Their Rest Taste See concept was shortlisted for the Monte d'Oiro Wine Hotel competition organized by Bee Breeders.

The competition to design a hotel in Portugal is the second project the Bee Breeders platform has organized in collaboration with Quinta do Monte D'Oiro, a family-owned winery located in the Lisbon region.

The hotel at the Quinta do Monte D'Oiro estate

Quinta do Monte d'Oiro is an estate of forty-two hectares with a history of wine production dating back to the 17th century. The area where the vineyard is located is known for its ideal conditions for producing sustainable, fresh wines. The current brand, owned by José Bento dos Santos, has been producing organic Syrahs, Viogniers and Petit Verdots since the 1990s. As part of the competition, the winery sought design ideas for an expansion of the current complex - a hotel.

The proposed building was to take full advantage of the vineyard's scenic qualities and landscape, and incorporate a range of features and amenities to ensure a memorable stay for visitors. Participants were asked to define clear, consistent and harmonized proportions for the buildings and to fit the new facilities into the existing building complex, as well as to define general architectural guidelines for the future development of the winery.

Among the design inspirations, the authors mention the work of Eduardo Souto de Moury

inspiration of Portuguese minimalism

The jury composed of: Tiago Krusse (K Innovative Diffuser), Sean Shen, Xuanru Chen and Yu-Ying Tsai (ZJJZ Atelier), Catarina Ribeiro and Vitório Leite (merooficina), Lera Samovich (Fala Atelier), Wayne Turet (The Turett Collaborative) awarded projects made with sensitivity to the beautiful vineyard environment, while having the potential to become a distinctive landmark.

Among the works submitted from around the world was a project from Poland called Rest Taste See by Aneta Klementowska, Katarzyna Lech and Maja Pacek from the Wroclaw University of Technology. The jury of the Monte d'Oiro Wine Hotel competition shortlisted the project.

When creating contemporary architecture in Portugal, it is impossible not to be inspired by the magnificent works of local architects who are successful on the international stage, are Pritzker Prize winners, or simply create impressive works. Here we unobtrusively refer to the work of Eduardo Souto de Moura, full of simplicity and minimalism, author of many residences, including House Numebr Two in the city of Bom Jesus, Portugal, and an installation at the 2012 Venice Biennale designed right next to the work of another Portuguese architect Álvaro Sizy," say the authors about their inspiration.

The hotel is meant to be an architectural addition to the landscape

an architectural complement to the landscape

The proposal of the students of the Wroclaw University of Technology is to complement the landscape, Quinta Do Monte D'Oiro without overshadowing its natural charm. The idea of the authors was to frame the views - a twenty-acre vineyard extends around the designed hotel. Spaces, thanks to panoramic windows, can be closed or completely opened and thus lose the boundary between inside and outside.

Panoramic windows blur the boundaries between inside and outside

The view of the volume's frames creates a contrast between the simplicity of the concrete and the intricacy and full color of the exterior. The urbansitics of the building was inspired by simple lines in the existing fabric - perpendicular buildings, lines demarcating crops, surrounding fields, which were mapped in the hotel's layout, the students explain.

On the hotel's facade, the designers used limestone plaster, referring to the chapel - the most representative building in the Monte D'Oiro area. Meanwhile, the use of a local raw material - Portuguese marble- on the floor reduces the carbon footprint of the development.

The urban design was inspired by simple lines

hotel located in cascade

The hotel complex created by the students is divided into seven parts. The first is the entrance area with a lobby and vertical communication, followed by hotel rooms with balconies overlooking the vineyard and hotel rooms on the first floor. The authors also included a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the vineyard and an outdoor swimming pool, a spa, a delivery area, a Kids Club and a sports center. The sports area, thanks to large glazing, can be a completely open, enclosed space in summer or an enclosed gym in winter. The entire complex is arranged in a cascade to expose the view of the vineyard.

The entire complex is arranged in a cascading fashion

Building 1 has the main entrance leading through the hotel lobby. From there guests can access the rooms on the first floor and through the garden to an additional building with rooms located on level -1. The hotel is equipped with three types of rooms. The modules vary in size, and guests can choose between single or double options. Each room is connected to a private balcony space created in set-back alcoves.

Theview of picturesque nature is what draws crowds of tourists and wine enthusiasts to the Monte d'Oiro area, so even the bathrooms we designed were made to overlook the beauty of the surrounding fields, the authors add.

Each room is connected into a private balcony space created in recessed alcoves

Hotel guests also have access to two terraces overlooking the vineyards - one is connected to the lobby and stocked with outdoor bars serving wine and snacks, the other, is connected to the restaurant. The restaurant can be accessed directly from the rooms or from the lounge area with spa and outdoor pool.

Read also about the design of a WINE DEGUSTING ROOMmade of CLT wood and a PAWILON hidden in the hill of the Quinta Do Monte D'Oiro estate.