Perched on the cliffs of Ericeira, Portugal, lies Aethos Ericeira Hotel. Once a humble building lost amidst a mix of traditional and modern elements, the hotel now stands as the result of a refurbishment project led by Pedra Silva Arquitectos.
Despite the numerous constraints and protected site, the architects aimed to respect the building’s history and preserve the existing site.
Words courtesy of Pedra Silva Arquitectos
Photography by Francisco Nogueira
Perched on the cliffs of Ericeira, Portugal, lies Aethos Ericeira Hotel, a boutique hotel that boasts stunning panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. Once a humble building lost amidst a mix of traditional and modern elements, the hotel now stands as the result of a refurbishment project led by Pedra Silva Arquitectos. Despite the numerous constraints and protected site, the architects aimed to respect the building's history and preserve the existing site. Witnessing the location's potential from their first site visit, the architects stripped down the buildings to their essence, separating the elements to keep from the ones to let go. The result is a masterpiece of architectural design that fuses history and modernity, inviting guests to experience the beauty of Ericeira.
During the extensive renovation of Aethos Ericeira, a few key design decisions completely transformed the direction of the project. The architects were fortunate to have clients who shared their vision, even when it meant sacrificing buildable area. One of the most significant iterations was moving the main entrance from the centre of the building to the sea-facing front, where a double-height area now connects the hotel to the stunning seascape, offering guests a unique arrival experience.
Throughout the design process, the architects understood the importance of creating something distinguishable, something that would emphasise the character of the space. They saw potential in the building's existing arches, which lacked significant expression and were deformed in scale. With careful attention to proportion, texture, depth, and mass, the architects gave these arches new life, emphasising the presence of the walls and providing protection from the sun's direct rays during the warmer months. Stripping down the windows added a restored sense of proportion, resulting in a space with well-defined architectural boundaries that play with the interplay of light and shadow, delicately evoking a sense of poetic beauty.
A second key iteration was the nearly complete demolition of a subterranean multipurpose room, allowing for a wider connection between the pool and the hotel building. The high walls that had once enclosed the pool were no more, making way for a series of inviting levels.
As the project took shape, other changes came into play. The brief and site conditions called for larger windows, in order to let in light and showcase the breathtaking views. These windows, designed as metallic boxes protruding from the facades, created their own unique visual identity. They helped to clearly distinguish the old from the new and became a defining feature of the building.
The seafront buildings were given a new layout, with an open plan style ambiance that the briefing called for. The main entrance, located at ground level, boasted a double-height space, including the lounge area and reception. On one side of this space lay the multipurpose and supporting services rooms, while on the other side, the restaurant, bar area, and connection to a second building and back-of-house areas. The main rooms, such as the multipurpose, main entrance, and restaurant, had a direct connection to the exterior, taking advantage of its prime location with wide outdoor areas and large new windows framing the spellbinding seascape.
“Stripping down the windows added a restored sense of proportion, resulting in a space with well-defined architectural boundaries that plays with the interplay of light and shadow, delicately evoking a sense of poetic beauty.”
Brief
A second key iteration was the nearly complete demolition of a subterranean multipurpose room, allowing for a wider connection between the pool and the hotel building. The high walls that had once enclosed the pool were no more, making way for a series of inviting levels.
The extension building, where most of the bedrooms reside, maintains its layout on the ground and first levels, with slight alterations to meet current standards and to provide a higher level of service. New connections to exterior spaces were also added. At the edge of the extension building, a new small structure was erected, occupying part of the old basement footprint, to accommodate a serene Spa. This addition is connected to both the pool area and the gym building.
The external areas underwent a deep intervention, allowing for optimal space utilisation and the creation of flows that work harmoniously from both a design and functional perspective. It is essential to highlight this.
In terms of shape, colour, and materiality, the challenge was to achieve a look and feel that seamlessly integrated with both the existing building and the striking landscape. This was achieved by removing a few sloped roofs and opening up the balconies, adding vertical wood slats and metallic panels to cover the facades, thus reinterpreting them into clearer shapes and volumes.
Colour and texture played into this concept by helping to highlight two types of intervention: the traditional one, with light-coloured walls paired with darker framed fenestrations, and the modern one, with the texture and warmth of timber combined with the darker frames. The use of these contrasting yet complementary materials played a significant role in the design development of the concept, integrating both the landscape and interiors.
Pedra Silva Arquitectos is a studio that believes architecture is more than just solving problems - it’s about weaving creativity and functionality together to create designs that answer the right questions. The studio’s designs are unique, with the aim of responding in the best way possible to the purpose for which they were created.
Instagram: @pedrasilva_arquitectos
Website: pedrasilva.com
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