House in Praia do Pego / Falcão de Campos

Text description provided by the architects. The House in Praia do Pego is located in Grândola, around 900 meters from the coast. The site has an area of 1.239m² that provides a transition from the lower level of the public space, facing north, to a higher level of the site, facing south. It is situated in a residential area of average density, with confining lots facing east and south. Facing north, the site has a clear view of the rice fields. Its west edge confines a small route for pedestrian access. The design of the house bases itself on the interpretation of the site’s configuration. The two lateral limits of the site delineate the direction of the east and west facades, while the position of the house is determined in order to guarantee its elevation from the public street and the creation of an exterior living area at the most private part of the lot. This area is positioned south to optimize the entrance of natural light.

In fact, the north and south portions of the site are equally predominant in the development of the project: the interior circulation of the house and its compartmentation establish a visual relation varying between the view of the rice fields, facing north, and the interior of the site, facing south. The volume of the house is neither static nor monolithic, its shape is composed of movements on the north and south facades, dematerializing the continuity of the facade, providing the interaction with the exterior landscape, and granting dynamism to the interior space. The roof of the house takes part in this formal arrangement with the repetition of gable roof typologies.

Finally, the design tried to reconfigure the original topography in order to restore the natural slope that connects the lower levels of the public space in the north with the higher levels of the site in the south. The house is placed in a high position in accordance with the south portion of the site, allowing the natural slope to continue naturally until the limit of the property and the house to be elevated from the public space. The two terraces reaffirm this condition: the north terrace follows the entire front of the house and the south terrace integrates the interior to the volume of the pool.