There are projects like that. They start out as a personal pursuit, they become a passion that is then shared with friends and clients. This is what happened to Eugenii Bogdanov, CEO of THE HEIGHT, who reveals a different way of building in Portugal.
Eugenii Bogdanov’s story begins in 2015, when his family decided to buy a holiday home in the Sintra area.
He says it took him three years to find the perfect location and the perfect property, because “there are not many opportunities in the Portuguese luxury market that meet our Nordic standards that end up diverging from Portuguese traditions”.
When asked about the differences in quality and construction requirements between Portugal and Northern Europe, the issue of mechanical ventilation comes right at the top, which, as Eugenii Bogdanov explains, “is very important to ensure comfort, especially when living in a humid climate”.
Another “central idea” is the exclusive use of underfloor heating, a solution that “is not widely used in Portugal but which is essential for our projects, as it provides a much higher standard of comfort”, he adds.
And there is still a third pillar: wall insulation. This is because in each project he is involved in, he always aims to achieve two objectives. “The first is to increase energy efficiency and reduce heating/cooling costs; and the second is for our homes to be as eco-friendly as possible.”
In the opinion of Eugenii Bogdanov, “the fewer resources we use, the more ecological the homes will be”. For this reason, the goal in all projects is to obtain the A+ energy certification because, as he points out, “we want to be the most efficient and environmentally friendly, and this is only possible if we use the latest technologies”.
There are also differences with regard to the approval time of permits by local authorities. In Portugal “it is very difficult”, he says, but he also recognises that it varies from region to region and that it can be “more time-consuming in Sintra or Cascais and faster on the west coast”.
New generation of construction in Portugal.
Having satisfied the needs of his family, Eugenii Bogdanov realised that there was demand from the Central and Western European market for Portugal.
The Covid-19 pandemic came to “accelerate a new way of being in life”. It came to “show that living in megalopolises is too stressful and that, therefore, we needed a space to be closer to our families and with outdoor areas. Portugal is perfect for that”.
It was in this scenario that THE HEIGHT began to build houses to meet this demand, with customers of different nationalities, namely from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Fin- land, the US and Canada.
It currently has several projects in hands, with the support of a “very competent team of national architects of five professionals and with the prospect of hiring more, in addition to renowned international teams from the United C Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Estonia”.
The company has just sold its biggest project in Sintra to a young British family that reflects “a new generation of wealthy Western European CM customers”. It is also developing two rehabilitation projects at the Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort in an area close to the sea.
The strategy now involves “developing self- CMY promotion projects, as well as offering consultancy and support services in terms of licensing, architecture and construction”. But there is something that will not change, as Eugenii Bogdanov underlines: “We will continue to build as if it were our own home, with the same commitment, with the same dedication.