Nurture-AD

Nurture-AD (Nurture Architectural Design) is an architecture studio based in Cascais, near Lisbon. It is led by João Pedro Quaresma, an architect and Certified Passive House Designer. The studio is a spin-off of INNER Value, a company that has worked on bioclimatic, sustainable and energy-efficient architecture since 2014. The studio specialises in the Passive House (Passivhaus) and nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) standards. According to the studio, a Passive House can cut space heating and cooling energy by up to 90% compared with typical building stock, and by over 75% compared with average new builds. Heat recovery ventilation keeps the air fresh without draughts. Indoor surface temperatures stay close to the air temperature, even in extreme weather. Nurture-AD has contributed to the certification of three Passive Houses in Portugal. It also designed what it describes as the first certified Passive House PLUS in the country. A blower door test and certification by Homegrid are part of that process. Current work includes new Passive House designs in Cascais, Sintra, Parede, Mafra and Vilamoura. The services fall into five areas: - Passive House design consultancy - Architecture and design, combining client needs, smart technology and efficient design - Retrofit and rehabilitation design, including thermal and energy upgrades of older buildings - Green urban planning, such as district-scale sustainable energy-efficient development plans - Bioclimatic strategies and an efficient use of resources in every project The portfolio includes a rehabilitation project that restores façades, roof and traditional Portuguese paving with the original materials and colours. It also lists Cascais Terraces, a residential building in the centre of Cascais, and Cerrado da Porta. In that house, orientation and topography were used to optimise solar gains. A technical core holds the ventilation, hot water and photovoltaic storage. João Pedro Quaresma has also spoken at technical seminars on the Portuguese buildings energy legislation. The studio publishes guides and a blog on high-performance architecture, and its website is available in English, Portuguese and Spanish.