'TERRA AMADA' by Marco Santos

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Architecture 2014/2015

Architectural Renewal and Conservation

‘TERRA AMADA’

by Marco Santos 70075586 Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal

Mentor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Ljubo Lah

INDEX:

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 3 1st INTERVENTION — COVAS DO MONTE ........................................................................... 4 PUBLIC SPACE ....................................................................................................................... 6 Calvary .................................................................................................................................. 6 Accessibilities improvement — path on the escarpment ...................................................... 7 Accessibilities improvement — access to the watermill and the mill ................................... 8 FACILITIES ............................................................................................................................. 9 Mill ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Watermill............................................................................................................................. 11 Old elementary school......................................................................................................... 14 HOUSING ............................................................................................................................... 16 Ms. Irene house ................................................................................................................... 16 Ms. Lucinda’s annex ........................................................................................................... 21 Mr. Manuel’s cattle shed ..................................................................................................... 25 Ms. Irene’s corn granary ..................................................................................................... 28 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 30 LINKS ......................................................................................................................................... 32

INTRODUCTION TERRA AMADA ‘Terra Amada’ (literally meaning ‘beloved land’) is the name of an initiative created by architecture course of the Catholic University — Beira Regional Centre, based in Viseu, Portugal. Its aim is the development of volunteer work open to the participation of students from national and foreign architecture schools with the objective of performing interventions of preservation and rehabilitation in rural villages of the Beira region, with the focus of answering to the most pressing needs indentified by the local communities, in particular the ones concerning the quality of life of the population, conservation and rehabilitation of the material and immaterial heritage (linked to traditional arts & crafts) and contribute to local development.

It’s also intended with these voluntary actions to raise the awareness among architecture students to the issues related with the development of the rural areas and to the importance of the social and territorial cohesion, as well as give them the opportunity to directly contact traditional construction processes, techniques and materials and, at the same time, contribute in a concrete and visible way towards the improvement of the communities’ quality of life with whom these students will live and work during the time of the intervention.

The initiative ‘Terra Amada’ main goals are:

— Contribute to improving the quality of life of vulnerable rural populations and to local development;

— Conserving and rehabilitating the material and immaterial heritage (concerning traditional arts & crafts) of the countryside and pass it to the younger generations;

— Perform emblematic volunteer work, able to inspire and mobilize a wide range of players, from the communities themselves to the students, private sector companies, etc., in order to achieve a joint project in support of local development, social and territorial cohesion, solidarity among generations and heritage conservation;

— Perform architectural design and exemplary works from the heritage conservation principles point of view and raise awareness of architecture students towards this field of practice;

— Deepen the methodologies and practices of participatory design interventions in rural areas;

— Develop dissemination actions of the knowledge generated during the process intervention, in particular regarding the methodologies, ways of living in the rural world and material and immaterial heritage.

1st INTERVENTION — COVAS DO MONTE During the summer of 2013 (26th of July – 5th of August), the first ‘Terra Amada’ intervention took place. The selected village was Covas do Monte, in the municipality of São Pedro do Sul. This village has 50 inhabitants and it’s situated at the foothill of two mountains and one of the most well hidden places in the hills of São Macário. Lying on the valley, the agricultural plains are used by the population to grow foods. More to the north, the small river finds its way through the rocks, giving birth to beautiful waterfalls here and there. It’s a truly wonderful place.

Fig.1 and 2: Covas do Monte location.

Covas do Monte also has one of the biggest herds in the country (about 2500 goats), a herding community based activity and a lively farming activity, being among one of the few villages that still keeps a well preserved traditional economic structure.

The way of living of the village is profoundly reflected on its own built space, both regarding the constructions used as animal shelters and for the storage of agricultural products, as the very public space, shared by men, herds and remaining local fauna. However, despite all the life and material and immaterial heritage still present in this village, the aging of its population and the poor conservation state of many of its buildings are a current threat to its continuity and legacy to the forthcoming generations.

Fig. 3: View over the village and valley.

Fig. 4: A typical street view. Schist is used as the main structural element in most of the constructions in the region.

Fig. 5: The breathtaking nature of the surroundings.

Fig. 6: One example of an animal shelter.

Taking into the account the objectives of the initiative ‘Terra Amada’, the needs expressed by the village’s population and the limitations such a volunteering action possesses, it was identified a set of interventions to be achieved through the action. This set of interventions encompasses a broad range of typologies, from the public space to the collective equipments and housing, which demonstrates the multiplicity of needs and richness of the existent heritage.

Fig. 7, 8 and 9: The ways of living.

During this period, the conservation and rehabilitation works were assured by the hand labor of a group of about 50 national and international architecture students (mainly from Portugal, but also from Spain, and in which I was included, temporarily doubling the village’s population) under the direction of experienced master-builders and technicians of the sector, they also volunteers, and with the donated materials from the manufacturing and distributing companies. The projects, logistics and subsequent coordination was provided by the tireless driving force of professor and architect Ana Pinho and her pupils, architecture students about to graduate, from the Catholic University.

The selected interventions were: a) Public space: pave the area of the Calvary; improve the accessibilities (access to the watermill, the mill and the path on the escarpment). b) Facilities: Fig. 10: The volunteer’s camp was set on an existent communal lot used for visitors.

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mill;

watermill; old elementary school (now the headquarters of the association of the friends of Covas do Monte.

c) Housing: - Ms. Irene’s house; - Ms. Lucinda’s annex; - Mr. Manuel’s cattle shed; - Ms. Irene’s corn granary.

PUBLIC SPACE Calvary

Fig. 11 and 12: Calvary before intervention

This space is highly valued by the population due to its symbolic meaning. It needed some renovation regarding the pavement and handrails. a) Work undertaken: -

paving of the area surrounding the Calvary; placing of handrails and their painting.

Fig. 13: Painting of the handrails

b) Needed supplies: -

granite cubes (enough to cover an area of 800m2); wood and metallic elements for the handrails.

Fig. 14 (left): Finished handrails; Fig. 15: Closing ceremony guided by Viseu’s bishop where all the volunteers and village gathered to celebrate the end of the works. The new granite pavement is easily distinguishable.

Accessibilities improvement — path on the escarpment The path connects the village’s centre to the Calvary and other crop lands, serving also as route to the mountains. It’s used both by the villagers and their respective herds and it presented some serious flaws in terms of accessibility and security. With that said, some urgent intervention had to be done in order to ease the circulation with safety, having in mind the amount of elder people that uses it.

Fig. 16: The path as it used to be before. Note that there’s no type of rail or protection at all.

a) Work undertaken: -

construction of steps and small wooden walkways placed at the more problematic points of the track; placing of handrails on all the path.

b) Needed supplies: -

wood; metallic elements.

Fig. 17 and 18: Protections placed.

Accessibilities improvement — access to the watermill and the mill The access to these two facilities is quite problematic, with some parts of the path really steep, especially in the areas where the rocky outcrops emerge. As in the previous case, some urgent intervention had to be done to make it safer for the users.

Fig. 19, 20 and 21: Access to the mills.

a) Work undertaken: -

construction of steps and small wooden walkways placed at the more problematic points of the track; placing of handrails where needed.

b) Needed supplies: -

wood; metallic elements.

Fig. 22, 23, 24 and 25: Aftermath.

FACILITIES Mill

Fig. 26: Mill; Fig. 27: Roof; Fig. 28 and 29: Some of the original mechanical systems.

This building and its mechanical systems date back from the XIX century (1819), the latter still maintaining all the original components, although some in very poor condition. The intervention focused primarily on the works of conservation and restoration of the building and the systems.

a) Work undertaken: Roof (50 m2. It had been replaced recently but in a poor way): -

removal of the previous roof (coating and wooden structure); replacement of the wooden structure and coating;

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replacement of missing coating elements or the ones that could not be recovered; cleaning and enhancement of the roof structure.

Fig. 30: Removal of the roof; Fig. 31: Replacement; Fig. 32: A volunteer varnishing the wood structure.

Openings: -

replacement of the two wooden shutters (50x62 cm; 75x120 cm); repair of doors with the replacement of the degraded elements and treatment of the remaining (167x195 cm).

Fig. 33 and 34: The two shutters before; Fig. 35 and 36: Replacement, repair and treatment.

Mechanisms: -

cleaning and treatment of the wooden elements; cleaning and repair of the oven; cleaning and repair of the metallic elements; cleaning of the copper boiler.

Fig. 37 (top left): The old oven; Fig. 38 and 39 (center and top right): Some of the damaged elements;

Other tasks: -

cleaning and replacement of pavement leveling; replacement of the water duct on the pavement; cleaning the walls and very occasionally replace some missing material.

Fig. 40, 41 and 42 (left): Works underway.

b) Needed supplies: -

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slate elements for the roof (possible needs of replacement of elements that cannot be leveraged and occasional replacement of broken or missing elements < 1m2); wooden elements for the enhancement of the roof’s structure; two wooden shutters (50x62 cm; 75x120 cm) including hardware; wooden elements for repair of doors (< 1m2); set of hinges for the doors; materials for the restoration of the mills; schist rocks for the occasional replacement of missing elements (< 1/2 m2).

Watermill

Fig. 43, 44, 45 and 46: Entrance, rear wall, side wall and river wall respectively.

The building consists of a small water powered corn mill, which still works and keeps all the original elements. It’s the only watermill located in the village’s perimeter, hence it’s vital importance and utility to the community.

It needed essentially cleaning, preservation and restoration works.

a) Work undertaken: Roof (10,5 m2): -

overall cleaning; occasional replacement of missing or broken elements; cleaning, treatment and enhancement of the roof structure (where needed).

Fig 47: Roof; Fig. 48: Roof structure.

Openings: -

cleaning of the window openings; door repair with the replacement of the degraded elements and treatment of the remaining (82x142 cm).

Fig. 49, 50, 51 and 52: Door and windows

Mechanisms: -

cleaning and treatment of the wooden elements; cleaning and repair of the metallic elements; replacement of some of the links between the elements.

Fig. 53 and 54: Working mill; Fig. 55 and 56: Mechanismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous condition.

Structure: -

cleaning and treatment of the wooden structure; reinforcement of the structural elements and replacement when necessary; cleaning of the walls and very occasionally the replacement of missing material.

Fig. 57, 58, 59 and 60: Wooden structureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state before the intervention.

Other tasks: -

replacement of the pavementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slate elements (4,3 m2).

b) Needed supplies: -

-

-

slate elements for the roof (occasional replacement of broken or missing elements < 1m2); wooden elements for the enhancement of the roof structure (where needed); wooden elements for repair of doors (< Fig. 61: Volunteer cleaning and scraping the walls 1m2); set of hinges for the doors; materials for the restoration of the mills; schist rocks for the occasional replacement of missing elements (< 1/2 m3).

Fig. 62 and 63 (left): The watermill after the intervention

Old elementary school In this building we have the only collective recreation space of the village. It houses the headquarters

of the association of the friends of Covas do Monte and a small restaurant operated by the association.

As it is the only space in the village opened to all the public, it also plays an important role as a meeting place and for the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social life.

Fig. 64: Old school building

a) Work undertaken: Walls: -

correction of anomalies due to the action of indoor humidity: o washing of the molds with a water solution of 10% bleach; o rinse with plain water; o perfect drying; o coating paint application.

Fig. 65 and 66: The most critical points in the interior walls

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repair of moisture infiltration derived from the pipes: o plumbing check; o full plaster extraction; o brushing for dust removal; o support’s superficial consolidation by priming; o execution of the ‘scratch’ coating; o execution of the ‘brown’ and finish coatings; o drying; o apply the first layer of painting; o apply the final layer of painting.

Fig. 67 and 68: Moisture infiltration;

Roof: -

repair of a joint that presents infiltration problems.

Fig. 69, 70 and 71: Joint.

Openings: - 1st phase, preparatory works: o o o o

scrape the aged coatings; sand the wood; eliminate dust and grease; application of pre-treatment against insects and fungi.

- 2nd phase, repainting: o replacement of missing bitumen; o wood ink application.

b) Needed supplies: -

white emulsion paint for the exterior (103m2 / 206 liters); white water paint for the interior (403m2 / 161 liters); plaster (10m2); bleach (5 liters); paint and primer for metal exterior (5 liters); paint for exterior wood (20 liters); filler (20 liters); material for plumbing repair; material for the roofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s joint repair.

Fig. 72 and 73: Volunteers working on the windows.

Fig. 74: At launch time, all the volunteers used to gather in the main room.

Fig. 75: Some of the leftover wood was used after to make some benches in the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s courtyard.

HOUSING Ms. Irene house This operation was by far the deepest one, dealing not only with the conservation side but also with the rehabilitation since the house had no basic infrastructure like sanitary facilities, sanitation and water. In this building lives alone Ms. Irene, a rather old lady with obviously no capacity to perform the necessary works to ensure minimal hygiene and comfort standards.

This intervention targeted the conservation of the existing space, thermal improvement of the building, reorganization of the interior space, improvement of the light quality inside and the provision of a toilet, sanitation and tap water. Also the accessibility conditions were improved since before they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide enough safety.

Fig. 76: Ms. Irene in her house.

Fig. 77 (top left): The house inside; Fig. 78, 79 and 80: Structure; Fig. 81 (bottom right): Gate.

a) Work undertaken: Conservation and repair of the existent space: -

overall cleaning of the walls and the structure; treatment of the damaged wooden structure elements and their enhancement;

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occasional replacement of missing or broken elements of the roofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s covering; plank floor repair; entrance gate repair.

Fig. 82, 83, 84 and 85: Openings.

Thermal comfort improvement: -

placement of the panels on the interior face of the masonry walls; ceiling lining placement; openings: o repair of the existent window frames; o placement of the new frames from the inside; o entry door replacement;

Replacement of the existent partitions with some new ones and reorganization of the interior spaces; Construction of cabinets and partition walls; Basic furniture placing;

Fig. 86, 87and 88: The total disorder inside.

Toilet: -

coating of the walls with ceramic and stone materials; installation of sanitary equipment.

Kitchen: -

countertop installation; fume extraction system installation; kitchen equipments installation.

Fig. 89, 90 and 91: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kitchenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Infrastructure: -

water system installation (hot and cold), sewage in the kitchen and sanitary installation; replacement of the electrical installation; septic tank installation.

Fig. 92 (1st row left): Steel frame structure installation; Fig. 93 and 94: Windows, doors and frames; Fig 95: Rockwool placing; Fig. 96: Fume extraction system; Fig. 97, 98 and 99: OSB and plasterboard fixing; Fig. 100: Plank floor fixing.

Fig. 101 (top left): Glue application for the vinyl flooring of the toilet; Fig. 102 and 103: Painting of the handrail; Fig. 104 and 105: Furniture sanding and repair; Fig. 106: The courtyardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new wooden fence.

b) Needed supplies: -

OSB panels (65m2); steel structure for the OSB fixing (unit section: 0,04x0,05m, 54 units x2,30m); ceiling lining (plasterboard, 40m2); steel structure for the lining fixing (unit section: 0,04x0,05m, 14 units x5,50m); pine boards for the plank floor (8m2); granite slab for the walls and floor covering (13m2); granite slab for the kitchenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s countertop; ceramic coating (36m2); slate elements for the roof (occasional replacement of broken or missing elements < 1m2); wooden elements for the enhancement of the roof structure (where needed); schist rocks for the occasional replacement of missing elements (< 1/2 m3); two new wood frames; new door; repair material for the existent frames; repair material for the entrance gate; metallic handrail (11m2); electrical system; switches (5 units); sockets (6 units);

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light sources (4 units); plumbing (40m); water cylinder (1 unit); sink for the kitchen (1 unit); fume extractor (1 unit); fridge (1 unit); switchboard (1 unit); toilet (1 unit); wash basin (1 unit); shower tray (1 unit); faucets (wash basin, sink, shower); septic tank (1 unit); double bed (1 unit).

Fig. 107, 108 and 109: Main room (after) with the kitchen and living area; Fig. 110 and 111: Room; Fig. 112 and 113: Bathroom.

Ms. Lucindaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annex

Fig. 114 (previous page): Annex; Fig. 115 (left): Ms. Lucinda in her annex.

This was a small intervention that intended to provide the minimal comfort and habitability conditions to a small building that hosts Ms. Lucinda family when they are visiting.

The intervention was focused essentially on the conservation of the existent building, thermal comfort improvement, assembly of light partition walls that organize the interior space, electrical system improvement and the construction of an access platform to the compartments.

a) Work undertaken: Conservation and repair of the existent space: -

roof cleaning (45m2); occasional replacement of missing or broken elements of the roofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s covering; overall cleaning of the surface of the exterior walls (50m2) and very occasional replacement of missing material; treatment of the damaged wooden structure elements and possible enhancement (if needed); plank floor repair.

Fig. 116 (top left): Roof; Fig. 117, 118 and 119: Roof (detail); Fig. 120: Roof structure; Fig. 121: Original plank floor.

Fig. 122, 123 and 124: Windows.

Thermal comfort improvement: -

placing of the panels on the interior face of the masonry walls; ceiling lining replacement and placement of new lining where it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist; openings: o repair of the existent frames; o conservation and repair of the entrance door; o conservation and repair of the existent shutter; o placing of new frames on the two windows; o replacement of the interior wooden door.

Fig. 125 and 126: Access stairs and platform

Execution of the ladder and access platform to the compartments; Replacement of existent partition walls with new ones and reorganization of the interior spaces; Placing of wooden baseboards; Placing of basic furniture:

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furniture/space partition (2,00x0,60x2,45m); stools and storage (0,40x0,60x0,60m); Roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wardrobe

Placing of chimney to exhaust fumes from the oven; Replacement of the electrical grid and laying of new access points.

Fig. 127: Rudimentary and precarious grid system

Fig. 128 (1st row, top left) and 129: Sanding and varnishing of furniture; Fig. 130 and 131; Steel frame structure installation; Fig. 132: Plasterboard fixing (after the OSB and rockwool); Fig. 133 and 134: Plank floor fixing; Fig. 135 and 136: Sanding of the palsterboards on the joints with a special paste; Fig. 137: Access to the annex under works.

b) Needed supplies: -

slate elements for the roof (occasional replacement of broken or missing elements < 3m2); schist rocks for the occasional replacement of missing elements (< 1/2 m3) wooden elements for the enhancement of the wood structure; pine boards for the plank floor (8m2); granite slabs for the stairs and access platform to the compartments (4m2); plasterboard and OSB panels (40m2); steel structure for the panels fixing; ceiling lining (plasterboard, 25m2); material for the panels and ceiling lining finishing; wooden baseboard (21m2); two new wooden frames; new door; electrical system; switches (2 units); sockets (4 units); light sources (2 units); repair material for the existent entrance door and shutter; material for the furniture execution; stainless steel chimney;

Fig. 138, 139, 140 and 141: Living space, entrance and room, from left to right respectively, after the intervention.

Mr. Manuelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cattle shed

Fig. 142: The cattle shed (before) in a half ruined state.

This intervention had as the main goal, the replacement of the slate roof and its wooden structure of this building that once was a cattle shed, so that it can be used again for the same purpose. The previous roof had totally fall and some of schist walls were no longer complete, having lost some material on its upper part.

It was proposed a new roof, using the same traditional materials as the previous one — wood and slate — but designed assuming its contemporaneity and allowing the maintenance of the existent trellis on the street, whose vines grow inside the building.

The original opening access was supposed to be, according to the original project (consult the annex with the cattle shed drawings), on the main and longer façade (as it was originally, although we cannot see it in the Fig. 142 since it’s immured, it was where the man is standing). But this didn’t work because when we started to take the rubbish out (Fig. 144) we noticed that replace the original pavement height of the building would weaken the walls. This required a change in situ to the original project.

The solution that proved to be the wisest was to keep the pavement at the highest level and change, consequently, the entry opening from the front to the side wall, to stay in line with the new height.

Fig. 143: Side Wall; Fig. 144: Rubbish inside.

a) Work undertaken: Removal of debris from inside the building; Pavement’s consolidation; Protection of the vines’ roots; Standardization of the width of the rear wall (excess material removal); Filling of the schist walls; Construction of a wooden structure for the roof; Placing of the roof’s slate coating; Reopening of the entrance access of the building; Placing of the entrance door.

Fig. 145 (top left): The new entrance; Fig. 146: During the ‘kit kat pause’ at the cattle shed, volunteers pose for a picture (I´m the one in the middle); Fig. 147, 148 and 149: Volunteers and technicians working together; Fig. 150: Final adjustments on the front façade’s horizontal opening (I’m the one passing the slate slab).

b) Needed supplies: -

wooden elements for the construction of the roof structure; metallic elements for the roof’s structure connections; slate elements for the roof covering (18m2); elements to protect the vines’ roots; schist rocks for the walls filling (1m3); wooden entrance door (1,30x1,45m); hardware for the entrance door.

Fig. 151: Brand new entrance door (the door’s structure is on the rear side so that there’s a better overall reading of the façade).

Fig. 152: Inside the new cattle shed. According to Mr. Manuel the shed it’s ‘too good for the animals’.

Ms. Ireneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corn granary This was a small intervention to repair the corn granary, particularly the roof, entrance door (which was in very poor condition) and the access ladder which had some serious safety problems and was being regularly used by Ms. Irene, which, as mentioned earlier, is quite old.

Fig. 153 and 154: The corn granary as it was before.

a) Work undertaken: Replacement of the roofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cover and structure; Entrance door repair, with replacement of the degraded elements and treatment of the remaining (80x195cm); Construction of a new access ladder; Side panels repair: -

replacement of the degraded connection metallic elements; preparation and painting: o scrape the aged coatings; o sand the wood; o eliminate dust and grease; o application of pre-treatment against insects and fungi. o wood ink application.

Cleaning of the concrete structure.

Fig. 155 and 156: Roof structure outside and inside respectively.

Fig. 157: The ladder as it was; Fig. 158 and 159: View of the door from inside.

Fig. 160: Volunteers working on top of a scaffold, sanding and painting the wood boards.

b) Needed supplies: -

Marseille roof tile (< 4m2); wood for roof’s cover support structure; wooden elements for the door repair (< 1m2); set of hinges for the door; wooden elements for the construction of a new access ladder; paint for exterior wood; filler;

Fig. 161 and 162: The corn granary shines on a sunny day after being ‘reborn’ with the intervention (without the ladder yet).

CONCLUSION In interventions of this size and character there’s always obstacles and setbacks that are impossible to control. This one is no exception. There’s a lot constraints because there’s no budget. All the companies’ personnel and materials are there on ‘good will’. The time span is also really tight, so the timings have to be really well coordinated. The whole management has to be carefully done. Nothing can fail.

This can be really stressful in some situations, especially when you think that nobody owes you anything..

That means that since we didn’t pay for any of these materials or either the technicians’ precious time, we cannot complain about schedules. If the company gives us the wrong material or there’s a delay, we can’t just shout at them on the phone and demand. That’s something we cannot do. We don’t define the schedule. Sure we can define some sort of agenda based on what the suppliers and companies tell us but in end, they have the final decision. They define the schedule. And we have to adapt.

There’s no other way.

Once you realize that, you know you have one of the keys to succeed in such an intervention. The only thing left is to coordinate and plan everything according to that and always try to find solutions to the inevitable problems that will come up. But on the ground, we’re all a team and you feel that together, we all can do it.

That was one of the best things I felt as a volunteer in this workshop: an intense and young spirit of cooperation. We all came from different places, but we all came for the same. In this week and an half we all lived on the same space and had this experience. For an architecture student like me, it was unforgettable. And I’m not speaking only on the technical aspect. Sure it’s going to be good for your career and field experience. But you also learn lessons for life and strengthen your friendships.

You get close to people. You see how is to live there, in that rural village in the middle of nothing that almost everyone forgot. You listen to the wolfs during the night and I bet this is not something that usually happens in your daily life. You see the stars, you actually see them! And quite well indeed. There’s no telephone nor internet, no-one knocking at your door. Everything and everyone that matters it’s right there, on that moment and you feel part of it. You feel part of a whole. And that’s a great lesson. * * * This intervention was a success. Everything was done on time and the population is forever grateful for this experience. You could see old people crying, saying that in all their lives never saw such a beautiful village. It was quite an intense moment emotionally and in different ways for all the people involved, when we all said goodbye. I’ll never ever forget those moments.

For the next year, once again the Terra Amada initiative took place, this time in Vale de Papas, another small rural village in the municipality of Cinfães, Viseu. I didn’t participate on the field but I helped with some funds for a basic budget via crowd

funding. I know it was again a blast and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pretty sure that everyone that was there got out with a different perspective on things and life. In the end you learn so much and even make new friends.

It was brilliant and marvelous experience.

NOTE: Most of the images presented in this work were taken by the volunteers and then shared between all. The written content is based on the document that was given to us in the beginning of the workshop and in my memory solely. Therefore, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no relevant bibliography to mention.

LINKS Catholic University: http://www.ucp.pt/ http://www.crb.ucp.pt/ http://icm.crb.ucp.pt/site/custom/template/ucptplfachome.asp?sspageID=1003&lang=1 Terra Amada: http://iniciativaterraamada.wix.com/terraamada https://www.facebook.com/iniciativaterraamada http://ppl.com.pt/pt/prj/iniciativa-terra-amada-vale-de-papas Terra Amada in the media (in portuguese): Vale de Papas http://videos.sapo.pt/9A01cY5KmKA9qBPULBd7 http://rr.sapo.pt/informacao_detalhe.aspx?did=157641 http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/videos/video/14175994/1 http://sicnoticias.sapo.pt/pais/2014-07-31-universitarios-reconstroem-aldeia-em-cinfaes http://www.rtp.pt/noticias/index.php?article=756218&tm=8&layout=122&visual=61 https://www.facebook.com/AldeiaDeValeDePapas/videos/812667468766845/ http://www.gecorpa.pt/noticia.aspx?id=11&area=Noticias&idn=278 http://www.tamegasousa.pt/aldeia-colmo-em-cinfaes-transformada-num-estaleiroescola/#prettyPhoto Covas do Monte http://www.publico.pt/local-porto/jornal/futuros-arquitectos-deram-outra-cara-a-covasdo-monte-e-a-casa-de-irene-26913300 http://icm.crb.ucp.pt/site/resources/documents/Recortes%20Jornal/Terra%20Amada.pdf http://www.tsf.pt/PaginaInicial/Vida/Interior.aspx?content_id=3357969 http://www.gecorpa.pt/noticia.aspx?id=11&area=&idn=230 http://informacao.canalsuperior.pt/noticia/17060 http://www.jornalarquitectos.pt/a-escola-estaleiro-em-covas-do-monte-2/

http://www.engenhariaeconstrucao.com/2013/08/oli-coopera-na-requalificacao.html Wolfs vs. herds/humans in Covas do Monte, talking about this never ending fight and the famous â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;wolf-killerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, an old man famous for his past glories that I had the pleasure meet during the workshop. http://www.dn.pt/revistas/nm/interior.aspx?content_id=2879108