The (Re)Construction Of A Landscape That Never Existed: Inviting Collective Relationships And New Rhythms Of Life In The Portuguese Coastal Village – Fonte Da Telha | Architecture Thesis On Community Development

Site Context

Place and People: Fonte da Telha is a coastal village in Portugal, located between Almada and Sesimbra. It has a long-standing fishing tradition but suffers from disorganized, often illegal urban development. Between 1976 and 1980, many light structures were replaced by masonry buildings, yet urban sprawl and lack of planning persisted. Despite demolitions over the years, a deeply rooted fishing community has endured.

The village today is characterized by poor infrastructure, neglected public spaces, and uncertainty about the future, particularly due to potential plans for total demolition under the guise of environmental regeneration. This plan would displace over half the current residents, deepening the existing social and economic instability.

Fishing, Fish and Fishermen: Fishing has historically played a crucial role in Portugal’s economy and cultural identity, especially in coastal communities like Fonte da Telha. Despite high national fish consumption, domestic production is insufficient, creating a trade deficit. The nearby ports of Setúbal, Sesimbra, and Lisbon remain central to the fishing industry, even as much of the coastal urbanization falls into decay.

Arte Xávega: Fonte da Telha’s fishermen practice arte xávega, a traditional and now endangered form of artisanal fishing using trawl nets launched from the beach. Boats go out to sea to form a circular net and are later pulled ashore—now by tractors, formerly by oxen. This technique is symbolic of the village’s heritage and community, where fishing is not only a livelihood but a way of life passed down through generations.

Core Issues and Vision: The village faces major challenges: uncertain housing rights, lack of investment, and environmental pressure. However, alternative strategies are being considered—ones that honor the landscape, support local life, and encourage a sustainable, community-centered model of tourism. The goal is to protect the heritage and vitality of Fonte da Telha from the inside out.

Final Outcome

Purpose: The goal of this project is to document and propose the partial rehabilitation of the fishermen’s quarter in the heart of Fonte da Telha, Portugal. It aims to revive residential structures and create a system of public spaces that honors the local culture, traditions, and community. The ultimate objective is urban and social reactivation—restoring life and meaning to a place shaped by the sea and time.

Compliant with the academic requirements of San Pablo CEU University of Madrid, the project is rooted in the regulations of the Community of Madrid, but reaches far beyond them in spirit.

Philosophy: A Story of Integral Rehabilitation: Fonte da Telha must recover its memory and rebuild as if it had never lost itself. Between the sea and the sand, the village exists in a kind of suspended time, and the project seeks to restore this magical, fragile duality—not as a nostalgic relic, but as a living and evolving landscape.

Urban Fabric [Re]considered: The proposal involves demolishing derelict buildings and reorganizing the village’s structure, starting with the houses. Many are between 30 and 60 years old and stand in poor condition, hindering a cohesive urban identity. The deterioration and abandonment of space reflect a crisis that must be addressed—not with demolition alone, but with renewal, dignity, and care.

At its core, the rehabilitation focuses on the fishing quarter, rethinking housing conditions and weaving in new infrastructures and public amenities. The aim is to create a fabric of “tapestries yet to be spun”—spaces both functional and poetic, inviting collective relationships and new rhythms of life.

So Long Mr. Marshall: The project critiques the dominance of mass tourism and car-centric planning, advocating instead for local identity, pedestrian-friendly spaces, and a reimagined tourism model that respects the place and its people. It proposes new access routes and parking areas to slow vehicle intrusion and reclaim public spaces for daily community life.

From Ruin to Unfinished Fable: Today’s Fonte da Telha is marked by degradation—abandoned spaces, piles of fishing gear, scattered trash, and chaotic parking. The project imagines a transformation: a place where decay gives way to unfinished beauty, allowing growth and improvisation within a shared landscape narrative.

“A Tree is a Leaf and a Leaf is a Tree”

Here, the city is reimagined as a giant house—where domestic life blends into the urban scale. New residential typologies, inspired by traditional, self-built homes, are proposed. These models aim to bridge the smallest spaces (like a bathroom) to the largest (like a square), encouraging experimentation and intimacy in design.

Conclusion: About the Rural and the Domestic – Fonte da Telha is seen as a container of uncertainty, cradling remnants of nature that the urban fabric wraps around like a spontaneous patchwork. The project envisions plazas as extensions of the home, and communal areas as extensions of the street, creating a harmonious dialogue between the rural and the domestic.

The idea of the border—between nature and built form, private and public—is reframed as a necessary and desirable element in shaping future urban fragments.

[This Academic Project has been published with text and images submitted by the student]