The Coimbra practice of João Branco and Paula del Rio was commissioned to reconfigure the tourist office and Praça Cónego Manuel Fernandes Nogueira, the only flat open space in Piódão, creating a unified image of them. The schist houses of this village in the Açor mountain range are spread out between steep narrow streets on a northwest-facing escarpment.

Redefining boundaries, the silent intervention makes it difficult to distinguish between new and old on this square of the lower part of Piódão – previously occupied by cars – which serves as the main entrance into the village. The project has reclaimed the space for pedestrians as a place for them to gather and socialize in. A grid of native cherry trees at the entrance alters the arrival sequence. This botanical filter protects the square by separating it from the roadway, keeping cars out. On the other hand, the new paving was executed with pieces of shale and with no slopes and curves, using local techniques and materials. The formal complexity of the space, lacking directionality, was tackled by introducing a large central circle along the church’s axis.

Around this new hub of the village, the project included renovating the tourist office building on the south side. Unnecessary elements were eliminated inside and out. Its porches were built with metal columns and wooden beams, which were covered with slate, like the village’s roofs.

The square and tourist office of Piódão is in the shortlist for the Emerging Architecture section of the 2024 Mies van der Rohe Awards.