Location: Alenquer, Portugal.

Architect: spaceworkers®.

The challenge of intervening in an old, restored church in Alenquer to create an exhibition structure about the life and historical legacy of Damião de Gois is significant. The proposal seeks to value the plastic characteristics of the space and minimize its impact on the pre-existence by respecting the existing structure and assuming a geometry that is familiar to the building. The exhibition space is a delicate black element that stands out from the remaining chromatism of the existing space, without ever overlapping it but without losing its spatial characteristics. The nucleus of the exhibition is a dark-colored, fragmented element that captures the configuration of the void that exists in the space, giving the visitor an idea of virtual continuity and exploring the ancestral relationship of interior and exterior. The result is a space that invites discovery and contemplation of the existent while respecting the history and identity of the pre-existing structure.

Photo credit: © Fernando Guerra – FG+SG.