The TerraSense Mountain Charm Retreat by Atelier DRK is an architectural manifesto born from a deep reverence for place and a pursuit of exceptional quality

In the serene, protected heart of Portugal’s Serra da Estrela Natural Park, a vision of mountain living - simultaneously ancient and boldly contemporary - has taken root. The TerraSense Mountain Charm Retreat by Atelier DRK, a rural tourism and hotel experience is an architectural manifesto born from a deep reverence for place and a pursuit of exceptional quality.

Embraced as a labor of love by its owners, the project sought to resolve a powerful paradox: to infuse two pre-existing, humble structures with new life while honoring the intense silence, solitude, and stringent environmental regulations of their setting. The guiding idea emerged as a refined, contemporary reimagining of the traditional mountain house typology.

The soul of the original buildings remains palpable, meticulously preserved through the use of schist, the region's emblematic stone, in their reconstruction. Yet, this traditional grounding is immediately met by a new architectural language. With restraint and precision, the design employs a minimal material palette and a single, deliberate gesture—a bold, cantilevered addition in exposed concrete—that marks the contemporary intervention with crystalline clarity, a profound dialogue between time’s layers.

Inside, the transformation continues. While echoes of the former houses persist, the spaces are redefined by an unexpected spatial choreography - new relationships and transitions that elevate the experience of dwelling. Each hotel accommodation, whether housed within the main structure or the separate villa, is conceived as a unique world, offering a deeply intimate and personalized way of inhabiting the dramatic landscape.

Paradoxically, the site's most challenging constraints - its protected status and remote location - became the project's greatest allies. The resultant volumes, solid and grounded in schist, gain their contemporary edge from the dramatic, concrete cantilevers. These architectural gestures are far more than structural additions; they are deliberate frames that open the interiors wide to the surrounding mountains, inviting in the raw elements - light, scent, and sound - and fully immersing the guest in the natural, unhurried rhythm of this extraordinary place.

TerraSense is a meticulously crafted retreat, a space to dwell in quiet contemplation and deep, unhurried enjoyment.