At mid-height of the Mountain, occluded by the clouds, where the last traces of our civilization end and nature rules, the traveler begins his challenge of endurance and courage.
In this place where rain and fog are regular, begins a trail of just about 5 Km that will take him to the highest peak of Portugal 2531 m, after 3/4 hours.
An almost mythic and poetry inspiring location, this stratovolcano of high geological and biological wealth and as such, classified natural reserve, drives 2500 tourists per year to climb it, so that they might be able to observe the different islands of the central group and proudly be able to say “I was there”.
The need to assist the visitors with environmental information and recommendations, as well as for climbing control, as lead to the projection of the Casa de Apoio (Support House), in the site today designed for parking of privileged vehicles and from Civil Protection.
The fact that the current chosen location is, by itself, already worthy of visiting, taking into account what is seen or of the more or less prolonged use (resulting from the arrival and departure of people that decide to adventure toward the climb) has lead to the inclusion on the program of a place meant for the stay, functioning autonomously from the access to the mountain and that it can establish itself as another open equipment to the residents of Pico Island.
The building attempts to portray the elements of the traditional architecture without resorting to easy mimicries, reinterpreting in its conception and construction the materials, volumetry and the adaptation to the site’s topography; the solution selected depending on the place, allows to diminish the impact of the constructed area, replacing the waviness of the small hills by a forefront with the same characteristics (the set building plus stairs). Divided in two bodies united by a transparent element, the building opens at the tops for the landscape, establishing a direct relation between the function of the space and the framework.