“…The situation of the convent is, of course, the best in the neighbourhood. Besides a terrace opening from the principal rooms, there is a fine broad walk on the top of the house, so that sea breezes and extensive views might at all time be commanded without leaving the doors. …”

in Joseph e Henry Bullar, A Winter in the Azores; and a Summer at the Baths of the Furnas, Volume 1, 1841

The Convent of S. Francisco underwent a significant intervention of restoration and rehabilitation towards its transformation into a Guest House.

The building, which originated at the beginning of the island's settlement, suffered several additions, most of them during the second half of the eighteenth century.

The architecture of the monastery is of a very formal austerity. Traces several construction periods are noticeable on the facades, granting it a great originality. The building has a total of 2 430 m2 of built area, and 2 175 m2 of outdoor backyards, cloisters, courtyards and gardens.

The project consisted essentially of the functional adaptation of the interior space. The interventions that were carried out both on the exterior and the interior spaces are intentionally current, although formally discreet and coated in the same austerity that characterizes the existing building. The design is clean and the new volumes and shapes are intentionally simple, integrating the intervention as one more layer of the global perception.

There was an intention to provide all the spaces with the current standards of comfort, and to create different zones in keeping with the several areas of the construction.

A total of ten rooms were designed, with en suite bathroom, developing each spaces individual characteristics. Several sitting lounges were created, from the large common room to a network of small spaces located in areas next to the corridors’ windows.

Whenever possible, the existing finishes were recovered using traditional materials.

The new stone floors, made of local stone, were designed to have rigorous tiling, in opposition to the existing. Wooden floors and ceilings are designed with straight volumes and lines, as are doors and shutters that recover, with straight reliefs, the paneling designs.

In the outbuilding, the former agricultural character was emphasized, recovering the structure of the roof that was left apparent, under the wooden roof lining. The sanitary facilities are small boxes within the space, which frees ups the view of the underside of roof and the volume of the construction.

The single glass window frames are in dark grey, which blends with the enveloping stone.

Small windows were opened in the facades, mostly to light the service spaces, recovering the idea of the traditional "ralos", with simple and contemporary stonework design.

Previously sealed arches and openings, both inside and outside, were uncovered, exposing construction elements from various eras.

The remaining area surrounding the Convent is a green leisure space, which includes a pool. Furthermore, in the eastern side of the building the steps of the church were redesigned connecting the convent to the public garden.