Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos
Portuguese studio Belém Lima Arquitectos has perched a pair of gabled cabins on the edge of a dam in northern Portugal to provide a public boathouse and cafe (+ slideshow).
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_8.jpg)
Belém Lima Arquitectos positioned the cabins at opposite ends of a wooden jetty alongside Bagaúste Dam in Lamago.
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_2.jpg)
The new facilities serve the increasing number of tourists travelling past the dam on their way to wineries in the nearby Douro Valley.
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_7.jpg)
"The location was already used in the summer but the facilities were very poor," the architects told Dezeen.
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_3.jpg)
"The Mayor of Lamego suggested building a new wharf, a bar area and a warehouse for canoes as well as the entire surrounding area," they added.
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_1.jpg)
The single-storey cabins have sharply pointed rooftops and their exteriors are clad with aluminium panels.
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_5.jpg)
The combined cafe and bar is filled with tables and chairs for customers, which spill out onto a covered terrace.
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_12.jpg)
Glass windows along one side of the cafe offer views out across the dam, while ramps outside lead down to the water's edge.
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_9.jpg)
The new boathouse sits at the other end of the jetty. Exposed diagonal braces support the walls, interspersed with metal hooks for storing public rowing boats and canoes.
![Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_14.jpg)
Photography is by Fernando Guerra.
![Site plan for Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_19.gif)
![Cafe and bar section for Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_20.gif)
![Boathouse section for Cais Bagaúste by Belém Lima Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_Cais-Bagauste-by-Belem-Lima-Arquitectos_21.gif)