Building in the Algarve: what the climate demands
Strong sun, salt air and rain concentrated into a few weeks. Three conditions that change design decisions.
What holds up well inland can last half as long on the coast. This is not folklore: these are three measurable conditions.
The sun. Summer radiation on a west facing façade means shading has to be designed as part of the structure, not added as an accessory. A one metre overhang saves more on air conditioning than any thickness of insulation added later.
The salt. Within two kilometres of the coast, standard ironmongery corrodes within a few years. Railings, fixings and window frames call for marine grade stainless steel or properly treated aluminium. It is a decision that costs little on site and a lot in maintenance if taken badly.
The rain. It rains little and it all falls at once. Gutter and downpipe sections sized on the annual average fall short in the events that matter. Oversizing here costs tens of euros and avoids the water ingress that costs thousands.
None of these three appears in catalogues. They appear in the buildings that have been standing here for twenty years, and those are the ones worth looking at.