50 years for Portugal
André Jordan
What increases your property’s value?
Agnieszka Kijonka
Investing in our roots, protecting heritage
Pedro Couto
PCA Telhabel
Preserving our country’s cultural heritage, as well as contributing
to the development of the local economy, are essential pillars in the
increasingly frequent rehabilitation of urban and rural spaces. These
objectives are also always present in the business activity of the Telhabel
Group.
To give you an example, I would like to tell you about the
restoration of the Palácio da Igreja Velha, located in Vermoim and built in
1881, which is the most iconic proof of our social commitment, of being able to
overcome challenges and create innovative economical projects.
For many decades, the Palácio da Igreja Velha was the mansion of an
important rural estate, in the baroque style, with two crenulated towers and a chapel
annexe – the S. Francisco de Assis chapel – in neo-gothic style, a very rare example
in Portugal. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens and vast green areas, in perfect harmony with the
architectural adaptation, which never neglected the buildings’ outlines and the
spirit of the place. The old/new counterpoint was asserted by the blend of
regional materials and other more current ones, with original construction
processes, which were executed by Telhabel - Construções, S.A., maintaining a
chromatic and volumetric harmony in the landscape.
The architecture project, by architects Vicente Gouveia, Nuno
Poiarez and Pedro Afonso, was featured in several international publications
and was awarded at the Popular Choice A+
Awards in the Details-Architecture +
Metal category of the Architizer
competition, due to the Corten steel structure that covers a large part of the
building, which, together with the granite, wood and concrete, gives substance
to the concept inspired by the ancient granaries of the region. This
traditional rural structure is found mainly in the north of Portugal and is the
subject of ethnographic and tourist interest.
Today, the Palácio da Igreja Velha is a splendid venue for events,
unique in Portugal, which provides an unforgettable encounter with the history,
nature, uniqueness and the hospitality of the north of the country. And, from
my perspective, this is the desirable strategy for an increasingly attractive
Portugal, capable of sustainable development and industrial and business growth
that go hand in hand with the best that we have and what must be preserved.