Private Residence

Type

Single Family Residence

Location

Arcos de Valdevez, PT

Year

2023

Services

Architecture + Engineering

Project Description

Between Landscape and Memory

Situated on the verdant hillsides of Arcos de Valdevez, in the heart of Alto Minho, this single-family residence emerges from a deep dialogue between contemporary architecture and the Portuguese rural landscape. The irregular terrain, with a pronounced slope framed by centuries-old granite stone walls, dictated the orientation and form of the building.

The programme unfolds on a single storey, extending horizontally along the contour line, minimising the impact on the terrain and maximising views over the valley. The volumetry is composed of two distinct bodies — one more private and introverted in character, and another social one, completely open to the landscape through large glazed planes and timber joinery.

The chosen materials — white render, treated pine timber, and local granite — establish a continuity with the vernacular architecture of the region, reinterpreted with a contemporary and rigorous language. The result is a house that belongs to its place, that respects its history, and that offers its inhabitants an intimate and permanent relationship with the surrounding nature.