Portugal is filled with unique, charming hotels, and today's offering is no different. We're travelling away from the coast to inland Portugal, which hides idyllic landscapes and charming nooks that seem to be taken from another world. It is there that you can find this incredible prefabricated hotel complex, designed by the Portuguese architecture studio Summary. It is located in the village of Paradinha, in the parish of Alvarenga (Arouca). Let's have a closer look at this incredible hotel made of prefabricated cabins located in Portugal and begin the tour.
Eleven charming cabins perfect for rest and relaxation
Although relatively close to Porto, Paradinha is situated in a remote area, surrounded by almost untouched nature. This is a village that was abandoned for some time and was occupied by a small group of people looking for a quiet, relaxed lifestyle.
In this hilly, sloping landscape, the architectural firm Summary has designed eleven small prefabricated huts as a hotel retreat, where visitors can experience the allure of this idyllic setting.
An efficient hotel project in Portugal
One of the architecture studio's most successful decisions for the design of the Paradinha hotel refuge was to opt for a cluster of small cottages rather than constructing a single large building.
The decision was made mainly due to the irregularity of the terrain, with a steep slope. In addition, the remoteness of the site made it difficult to build in the traditional way. For this reason, it was decided to build each hut outside the complex and then erect it on its corresponding plot.
Prefabricated houses in Portugal are a trend on the rise, and as the Summary team explains, for this project "the use of prefabricated structures was not only a choice, but the only efficient option to simplify the construction process in these conditions".
Cabins designed for long stays
Another reason why the individual cabins were chosen was to function not only as tourist rooms, but also as long-stay rooms.
"We proposed, instead of rooms, small houses, so that some of them can function not as tourist units but as long-term housing. By mixing these two distinct purposes (tourism and housing), we guarantee that this complex will not just have a seasonal use, thus being inhabited throughout the year and not only during the holiday period," expands the Summary team.
A design adapted to the topography of the area
While it is true that the cabins have been planned efficiently, it is also true that the diversity of the design has been taken into consideration. The 11 cabins are grouped into 4 different typologies and their surface area varies between 28 and 58 square metres (m2).
This variation allows each hut to be adapted and oriented to the slope where it is located, including the existing trees and the stone banks built decades ago to embank the land. In this way, they are located in a strategic position so as not to block the views of others and theirs, of the valley and the river.
One thing in common in all the cabins are their large windows on the narrower sides, with wood in the form of modern geometric trusses, and the open concept plan.
