There was a stone ruin and the prospect of building a 300 m2 extension. After a series of wildfires, the plot became part of an ecological reserve and this was no longer possible. The ruin was too small, but a mismatch between material and legal realities made it possible to extend its footprint from 35 to 60m2. Just enough for the missing infrastructure. We proposed to rebuild the ruin offsetting two walls for that extra space. In the spirit of ecology, roof, slabs and window frames ought to be made from wood and the exterior walls insulated with cork.

The long time of architecture forced this project to undergo a pandemic, an obstruction of the Suez Canal and several wars. Combined with the current shortage of skilled construction labour in Portugal, its original design became impossible, forcing one to redesign it according to the technical limitations of a local contractor. Form stayed; construction became the cheapest possible: a concrete structure, ordinary concrete blocks, water-resistant MDF, all coated with a thin layer of paint or varnish. Produced to remain hidden, these were used “as found” and “as is”, in the spirit of the Smithsons or Sakamoto. Aluminum frames were chosen from a catalogue, only to be subverted by a vivid color. All the original stones of the house were reused to build soil retaining walls.

Drawings in this publication reflect not so much the architects’ design, but what was somewhat “designed” by others under their guidance. This inverts meaning, unveiling the compositional sense of an otherwise ordinary construction. Richness of space results from its economy, translating the maximization of minimal gesture. Truth be told, when facing macroscopic socio-political issues such as economy and ecology, architecture can do little more than contribute to the most generous definition of this minimum.