Ewa Maniak and Karolina Rorat from the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology have won as many as two awards in an international competition to design a guesthouse with an oil tasting space in Portugal. Their project Olive Heart won the Second Prize and the Buildner Student Award! Among other things, the jury appreciated the relationship between the interior and exterior of the building and the lush, green common space.
The Portugal Olive Guest House competition was organized by the Buildner platform in cooperation with the Verde family from Portugal, which produces homemade olive oil using traditional methods. Participants were tasked with designing a guest house that could be built on land owned by the Verde family. The guesthouse was to be centered around a multifunctional space, functioning mainly as an oil tasting room.
Between the guest apartments are green common spaces
© Ewa Maniak, Karolina Rorat
The winning projects were to be considered in terms of implementation, so the organizers asked them to propose solutions that were best in terms of functionality, while exemplifying green building practices and sustainable design.
The projects submitted for the competition were evaluated by a jury consisting of: Ondřej Chybík (CHYBIK + KRISTOF), Marta Frazão and Inês Vicente (Atelier Data), Francisco Garcia de Freitas (Atelier RUA—Arquitectos), Ricardo Gomes (KWY. studio), Vitório Leite (merooficina), Tiago Mota Saraiva (ateliermob), Maria Papafigou (OOAK—One of a Kind Architects).
Olive Heart project consists of two levels and its center is a wood-burning oven
© Ewa Maniak, Karolina Rorat
Polish women doubly awarded!
Three prizes, special prizes and six honorable mentions were awarded. First Prize went to the A-Casa project of the Italian team consisting of Martina Costa, Giorgia Ferretti, Emiliano Barbani, Ruggiero Scommegna. Second Prize and the Buildner Student Award went to the Olive Heart project by Warsaw University of Technology architecture students Ewa Maniak and Karolina Rorat.
The proposal successfully combines communal spaces with spaces to spend time alone. The core of the layout is a lush common space extending diagonally and opening outwards, surrounded by guest spaces [...]. The proposal has the right scale and relationship between inside and outside," commented Ricardo Gomes.
Olive Heart project, first floor plan
© Ewa Maniak, Karolina Rorat
Olive Hearth project
The students of the Warsaw University of Technology decided on an unusual form for the designed guesthouse—its body in plan resembles a windmill, which plunges into the hill, taking advantage of the natural topography of the area. Both the form and materials are reminiscent of traditional buildings found in Leiria. The building consists of four guest apartments and a common space, partially located underground.
As building material, the authors used, among others, natural brick
© Ewa Maniak, Karolina Rorat
As a building material, the authors suggested adobe mud brick, which can be made on site from soil, sand, straw and clay. The four massive walls of the central part of the project, constructed in this way, serve both as a heat reservoir and conceal accompanying functions. Guest rooms located in the guesthouse frame views of the surrounding landscape and intermingle with common and semi-private spaces.
common space, dining room
© Ewa Maniak, Karolina Rorat
Green, lush courtyard and gardens
Between the guest apartments there is a green space—a courtyard with a unique atmosphere. An orange tree grows in it, and the authors have set a dining table under it. Common spaces overlook the valley surrounding the site, a place organized around an olive tree, a frontal flower garden, or an herb garden located in the shade of eucalyptus trees. Semi-private gardens allow independent access to the rooms, while other green spaces encourage communal outdoor activities. The interior of the house is organized around a hearth, which is the heart of the design.
A space for communal oil tasting and bread making
© Ewa Maniak, Karolina Rorat
multisensory space
A key aspect for us was to create a multisensory space for tasting the oil produced by the Verde family. The wood-fired oven we introduced, which functions on both floors, is a contemporary interpretation of the Portuguese forno a lenha , the students explain.
The lower level of the guesthouse, located underground, shapes the next stages of oil tasting. Textures, smells and sounds strongly affect users' senses. To enhance the sense of community, guests gather around a large wooden oven and bake traditional Portuguese pão together.
An openwork wall lets in lights and creates an installation
© Ewa Maniak, Karolina Rorat
The fireplace diffuses light on the floor and walls, turning off the sense of sight. The project also proposes a wall installation that will grow over time. After each testing session, participants will leave an oil bottle in the carved hole and turn on a symbolic light, Ewa and Karolina add.
