This project refers to the redevelopment of a single-family house on a plot classified as ecological reserve. The pre-existing main house and outbuildings set the perimeter that could be used, and so the project respected and used this limits to enhance the final solution.
With the pre-existing in mind, the house is composed of two white interconnected parallelepiped-shaped volumes. The volumes are different in shape, one long and low and the other shorter and taller. As the two volumes articulate differently with the surroundings, they also organize the house in a hierarchy and two separate programs. The interconnection of the two volumes is where the entrances to the house are located, one oriented to the north and the other to the south.
As the plot has a slope, the foundation stone where the two white volumes are supported is visible from the north side, where the same slope is leveraged to create a semi-basement.
The house has its openings to the east (rooms), south (kitchen, living room) and west (living room, dining room) protected by flaps and shutters, and is (almost) closed on the north side, boosting to the maximum the energy efficiency. Due to this orientation, the views from the house are framed to the Serra dos Candeeiros, ecological reserves and farming landscapes.
The perimeter of plot is walled with stone extracted locally safeguarding privacy, making it indifferent to stay inside or outside the dwelling. The spatial organization is thus made of physical and visual continuity, creating an ambiguity in reading and defining the boundaries of the closed house, with its big openings and glass panes.
The construction materials used are traditional, such as brick masonry and stone, torn by large spans of glass and aluminum frames to allow for natural illumination.
The rainwater is collected form the roof and are properly channeled and filtered to an pre-existing well, allowing for rain water reuse and reducing the impact on the environment. Other techniques were to reduce the footprint of the project, such as heat-pump heating and improved isolation.
