Located in Moura, Alentejo, the palace known as “Casa das Nunes” is one of the Livingroup Group’s most emblematic projects.
It is a unique building carefully design and built in 1860, named after the aristocratic family who owned it.
Render of Casa das Nunes by Sama Studio
The Moura Palace was constructed in an elevated position, next to the Castle wall with special dimensions and proportions, its careful design is marked by the symmetry of the façade topped by a row of white ceramic balusters, punctuated by statues and vases also made of ceramic, and by the tall windows surrounded by friezes and garlands.
The famous “Água Castelo”
On the east side of the building, there is a long supporting wall to which is attached the Santa Comba ‘ s Fountain, classified as Property of Local Value. The famous “Água Castelo ” originated from a spring that still exists within the interior of the Castle.
The back of this beautiful house is built into the base of the wall and its interior is entirely divided into small compartments by thick masonry walls and donkey bricks*.
Inside, all the construction methods and the most common finishes of the time are visible. These include vaulted rooms, wooden floors, doors, windows, and shutters made of molded wood with colored glass.
The rooms will be located in the original ‘enfilade’ rooms to preserve the palace’s original layout and architectural style. These are all hallmarks of this palace and will be restored in the Livingroup rehabilitation work.
Casa das Nunes | Bedroom | Original photo
This incredible palace will undergo a careful renovation with the aim of offering accommodation in the historic center of the city of Moura.
This rehabilitation work will introduce improvements in terms of infrastructure, new wooden window frames where the openings are already degraded, some openings in the masonry walls to improve the circulation of the new boutique hotel and the introduction of an elevator.
We can’t wait to see this transformation begin!
*Technical curiosity:
The masonry walls on the outside of this Palace are made up of larger semi-detached stone masonry, arranged horizontally. The gaps between the blocks have been filled with smaller stones, ranging from limestone, black and green schist, granite and other stones characteristic of the Alentejo region.
Some areas of these walls are also filled with donkey bricks. Both the stones and the donkey bricks are laid in mortars made up of binders based on aerial lime and coarse-grained aggregates, as well as white lime nodules. The formation of these nodules results from the application of quicklime (hot lime) when the mortar is kneaded. This “hot lime” technology aims to improve the mechanical strength of the mass when integrated into the masonry (Moropoulou et al., 1996, Margalha er al., 2011).
This technology was recovered after the 1755 earthquake, and its use extended into the 19th century, until the massive use of cement mortars.
Article written by the director of Livingroup’s technical department, Dulce Baião.
Revised and published by Francisca Sampaio, head of the Communications department.
