The Casal Saloio de Outeiro de Polima is one of the few existing examples of rural architecture in Cascais, Portugal. A seaside town with picturesque cityscapes, its development dates as far back as the 12^th century. One such villa, the Casal Saloio, built in the 16^th century, was one of the first occupations of this territory. It is an old and humble rural house that has undergone successive changes and expansions while retaining its original quality.

For this reason, it has been transformed through effective adaptive reuse by the keen efforts of the office of Miguel Marcelino into a museum space. Marcelino is an award-winning practitioner in Lisbon, Portugal, with built work covering varied scales and programmes.

Adaptive reuse is the process of recovering an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. An aesthetic process that adapts buildings for new uses, this type of revitalisation is usually for buildings of historic significance.

In an exclusive conversation with STIR, the architect Miguel Marcelino mentions the appeal of this particular home, "In its genesis, it was just a simple compartment, then it gained an annexe room, a side wing, a stone oven, the corral and the second floor, and again more other annexes. At one point, two buttresses were added to contain structural problems. The constructive logic has always been that of informality and the mere supply of needs. Nevertheless, this cacophony of layers and informality was, for us, the main point of interest.”

Past additions produced a building composed of a complex architectural style. With so many layers of transformations, it was decided to consolidate the old rural house in its last recognisable configuration. It was important to also be able to read its evolution through the broken and uneven geometry. Marcelino explains his vision for the project, “The new expansion consists of two volumes intersecting in an L, forming a courtyard with the existing set of structures. The newer insertions adopt a similar shape and scale to the heritage arrangement, continuing, now in the 21^st century, the logic of successive expansions and intersections that characterise it.” The team studied the history of the structure and its materials in detail before adding the new wing, to make it suitable for a contemporary museum design. 

Significant work was done to repair the parts of the structure that had fallen into disuse. Materials used in the museum additions are similar to those used in the historic home, thus maintaining the character of the original home. Although it follows a similar sloping roof style, it is easily distinguished from the old volumes by the lack of a tiled roof.

As one moves through the modest spatial offering, the museum puts nothing on display except a glimpse into the historic life of its ancestors. Modern wooden flooring acts as a smooth contrast to the textured interior walls. The rugged stone oven and countertops sit adjacent to contemporary window treatments. These intentional junctures in the museum's architecture offer space for quiet reflection, perhaps on the role of the built environment in our changing societies.

Casal Saloio, the museum is an interpretation of the existing architecture for a new generation, whilst maintaining the integrity of the landscape it is situated in.

Project Details

Name: Casal Saloio – Museum of Rurality
Location: Outeiro de Polima, Cascais, Portugal
Architect: Miguel Marcelino
Collaborators: Rafael Ramalho, João Neto, Martina Cappellini, Mariana Almeida
Gross Floor Area: 472 m2
Building Footprint: 404 m2
Site Area: 1 408 m2
Landscape Design: Paulo Palma
Phases:
2019 (invited competition)
2019-2020 (project)
2021-2023 (construction)
Structural Engineering: A2P
Plumbing Engineering: Augusto Macedo
Electrical Engineering: Ohmsor
Mechanical Engineering: Rui Batista
Fire Protection: ETU
General Contractor: Loviril
Construction Supervision: RYB
Client: Município de Cascais Município de Cascais