A Horse Barn in an Old Land Gets a New Life

Atelier Data renovate a former horse barn in the agricultural region of Alcacer do Sal, Portugal, into a pleasingly laid-back vacation home, with a reinterpretation of traditional building techniques and materials.

The clients wanted to maintain the sturdy original wooden structure of the roof and the axis of movement along the central aisle of the original horse path.

The original barn had had five spaces about the same size, divided by thick walls, to house the horses.

Now four have been converted into bedrooms and one serves as the kitchen/ living room.

The master bedroom is positioned at the far end, giving the parents some privacy, while being an open and airy space.

The practical and spacious kitchen is full of the friendly energy of the morning sun.

The former stall across from the kitchen, is now a family gathering space.

The old stable floor had been a simple cement floor, which in the conversion was then waxed, a traditional technique.

This old technique of waxed cement is also used for the white walls throughout, in both the dry areas as well as in the wet environment of the showers in each bedroom.

“The conversion of the stables in the case, gave us the opportunity to think about domestic space and also to test how people can live in older rural structures,” say the architects.