Historic Recovery – Hotel Montebelo Mosteiro de Alcobaça

The historic recovery project of Hotel Montebelo Mosteiro de Alcobaça, executed by Solancis, represents an exemplary approach to the use of natural stone in heritage contexts of high historical and cultural value. This project, which recovers the Rachadouro Cloister, one of the wings of the monument classified as UNESCO World Heritage, was conceived by Architect Souto de Moura in collaboration with Architect Luís Peixoto.

Souto de Moura’s concept of “resurrecting the ancient building” was inspired by the minimalism and detachment of conventual life, cleaning the building of numerous more recent interventions and recovering the spirit that marked the property over the centuries. The use of Solancis’s Branco Real and Beige Topázio stones allowed highlighting the virtuosity and quality of noble materials in perfect union with the secular roots of the building and irreproachable respect for pre-existences and the monastery’s history.

The intervention translated into an enormous challenge to the capacity for engineering and space adaptation. For a perfect fit of each stone in these secular walls, a three-dimensional survey was carried out throughout the work to adjust the technical drawings of each stone.