Coming from the road, one can see this house, on a small hill, with a dark silhouette in sharp contrast to its natural environment, offering a wide view over Santo Tirso. Its simple lines are the reinterpretation of the stereotype of the traditional gable roof Portuguese house.
HOUS3 started by defining a northeast-southeast axis in the longitudinal direction of the land and oriented in the best view of the place. And in this linear orientation, the main volume is arranged, in a playful reconfiguration of the traditional house, becoming remarkable in the landscape. A smaller, wide volume is attached to this one, which in addition to completing the programmatic requirements of housing is also an allusion to the annexes that are traditionally constant additions to the main house. This volume departs from the entrance of the lot to create a kind of external decompression atrium. And in the simplicity of the composition of these two volumes, an intuitive understanding of spaces is promoted, inviting one to enter.
In terms of the program’s distribution, the reception lobby is the first point of contact with the house, leading to the central and common areas of the house: dining room, living room and kitchen, spacious and generous with lots of natural light promoted by negative space, which is used as the extension of the indoor room to the outside, to the pool and outdoor dining room, taking advantage of the rhythmic play of light in the afternoon.
This central block also allows for the separation of two spaces that were to be independent: on the south-east, the private area, a corridor distributes the rooms and a small office, all of them with exterior spaces accessible through glass doors that balance the visual and physical connections to the landscape of each room; on the northeast, the technical areas of housing and work, with double height. Over these two areas, the traditional shape of the gable roof allowed the interior spaces to be modelled to complement the nature of the programs, creating a place for reading and studying.
Due to the simplicity and relevance of its interior design, with light, minimalist and smooth walls, the house offers a peaceful living space. In contrast to the dark exterior, where the black plant tile and the pine wood, together with the simple shape of the building create a striking graphic silhouette against the landscape. On the whole, through the juxtaposition of its facade materials, it gets closer to the natural.
Design and info © Ivo Tavares Studio
Images © HOUS3
