Jardins de Grândola

Grândola, Portugal

2022

Jardins de Grândola is a mixed-use touristic ensemble, situated in the centre of the town of Grândola, 115 km south of Lisbon. The town, in turn, is located on the south-west coast of Portugal, at the very heart of Alentejo’s busy tourism economy.

The project comprises a 48-key aparthotel with lobby-bar, restaurant, function centre and outdoor pool, in addition to five units containing serviced duplex and penthouse apartments. The overall complex is serviced by a common underground parking area for guests, residents and public, with 47 places.

The plot is located on the south-eastern boundary of the historical centre in front of the picturesque public garden, Jardim 1º de Maio. The ensemble occupies a full city block and is surrounded by low-density residential areas to the west and south, and the town’s public swimming pool to the east. The aparthotel is located at the edges of the site to the north and west, with the entrance on the north-western corner facing the garden, being both its busiest corner and the highest point in terms of topography, and thereby allowing level access to all public areas. The residences are located on the south-eastern corner of the site, with the entrance lobby on the east façade. The volume of the aparthotel and the serviced apartments opens in a kind of U-shape towards east and south, so as to allow sunshine into the swimming pool courtyard. A visual connectivity is established between the street and its public garden, and the courtyard of the aparthotel, with cross views and layers of transparency unfolding between the lobby, the restaurant and the bar areas.

In terms of architectural language, the building draws inspiration from the simplicity and bareness of Alentejo’s vernacular traditions. A whitewashed rendered façade with French windows is completed by an elusive series roof tiles on the parapet, evocative of a gable roof which in fact does not exist. The same roof tiles are embedded above the windows, functioning both as a protective awning against the rain and as a decorative trope. On the hotel ground floor, a series of arches indicates the presence of the public areas, while increasing their indoor-to-outdoor transparency.

Artist João Louro created a site-specific project for the ensemble at the end of Jardim 1º de Maio. In keeping with Louro’s approach to art and language, the project consists in enveloping a section of the façade corner with a series of personal quotes inspired by the meaning of freedom — a sentiment rooted in the history of Grândola and dear to its citizens. The phrases are engraved in a cladding of local white marble in Bauhaus typeface, the latter also subtly evocative of the future of Europe and the need to cherish freedom.

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Site plan

View of the north corner

View of the north-east corner

Location: Grândola, Portugal
Client: Qantara Capital
Façade art project: João Louro
Scope of services: Architecture, interior design and landscape architecture
Project brief: 4-star aparthotel (48 keys) and serviced apartments (5 units)
Gross floor area: 4,560 sq. m
Project status: 2022 (concept design)
Rendering: 4+Arquitectos