Public vote winner for residential rebirth project of the year: Rural House in Portugal is an ancient community oven that has been converted into a comfortable single-bedroom holiday home in Portugal.

An austere and traditional exterior, materialised in rough granite, blends gently with the surrounding constructions, but contrasts with a clearly contemporary interior, delicately shaped into a cosy, warm and comfortable space, with a surprising luminosity.

The main focal element of the intervention is the customised stair-bench-table-fireplace, that sets all the rules for the project.

Light input, carefully controlled through zenithal openings, produces dramatic effects on the bush-hammered stone and on the wooden elements that proliferate in the house, changing its ambience throughout the day.

The walled patio includes a shed and a small garden, some trees and a stone-lined pond.

Architect: Henrique Barros-Gomes Architects
Project: Rural House in Portugal