Time as passed by the building and left deep marks. However, it still maintains its imposing character, located in one of the main streets in the heart of Santana, a rural city in the north of Madeira Island.

It is in itself a point of confluence for locals and tourists. This ruin will become a genuine fusion of traditional grocery store (like in the past) and local accommodation, making the most of its location and preexistence.

The main idea is to reactivate the building, to continue the public “floor” of those who come down the street and enter the grocery store and in the main house. This is the common ground.

The grocery store is the protagonist of this place. A centered plan wooden structure becomes an exercise of traditional memory. From the grocery store, there’s an entrance to the main house, where there´s the common space.

The stairs for the upper floor is in the middle of the space and acts as a sculpture and separate the kitchen from the living room.

The reinterpretation of the local history and in an attempt to relate the construction solutions with an increase of the spatial quality, a balcony is designed throughout the east facade, which helps in the stability of the wall and extends the spaces to the outside.

This is designed similar to a traditional architectural element from the Island, a small building strategically placed to contemplate the landscape, surrounded by a dynamic of green sunshades that filter the light. The new balcony extends the living room and kitchen over the landscape and creates a balcony area for the rooms to contemplate the view.

It is intended to develop its traditional character introduced a different and contemporary program. To restore the truth of the building making the ruin inhabited