HOSPITALITY

MECO RESORT IDILUZ

Meco, Sesimbra . 2017 invited competition

Year
2017
Location
Meco, Sesimbra, Portugal
Team
Jorge Sousa Santos, Rafael Lopes, Marcos Barradas, Francisco Ferreira, Luis Rodrigues
Client
Stone Capital

Gallery

About the project

The project is grounded in a morphological reading of the site, identifying three founding conditions — meadow, forest and water — which structure the layout and organisation of the ensemble. The meadow to the east, with its gentle slope and open visual field; the forest to the west, dense and close to the body; and water, culminating in the sea, define distinct fields of occupation and use.

Meadow The constructions located in the meadow are defined by rammed-earth walls, establishing earth as the primary structural material. The programme is organised into different residential typologies, identified by their floor area — House 500, House 200 and House 70 — with the addition of a future minimal unit, the Cabin. The houses develop as morphological systems composed of living and sleeping areas, enclosed by earth walls and oriented according to landscape views and solar exposure. Circulation areas act as flexible connective elements, allowing formal adjustments in response to each house’s position within the site. Green roofs reinforce landscape continuity, reducing the volumetric presence of the buildings.

Forest Within the forest, thirty accommodation modules are distributed. These compact volumes are built using timber structures, insulated with straw panels and finished externally with wood treated using the Shou-Sugi-Ban technique. Spatial organisation prioritises direct engagement with the landscape, cross-ventilation and natural light, achieved through interior patios and vertical articulation between levels. The orientation of the modules reinforces a condition of permanence and contemplation.

Water The intervention associated with water takes the form of a spa, conceived as the most permanent operation within the project. Water is contained by stone, giving the construction a dense and durable character. The building is understood less as an autonomous object and more as a construction of the landscape, articulating architecture, forest and movement.

A system of platforms, stairs and pools organises the thermal experience, distributing the different uses across the site. The interior sequence develops along a linear axis, leading to hot and cold baths and a sauna, while exterior spaces are opened to permanence and contemplation, dissolving the boundary between building and landscape.