House in Vale Formoso

Project completion

2022

Gross floor area

206,92 m²

Location

Funchal

The project is designed on a rectangular plot of land, located in Monte, about 450m from the sea. It faces a street to the North, another to the East, and two empty lots to the West and South. The view to the south is superb, over the bay of Funchal. The house is accessed from the East, through Caminho dos Saltos, and emerges on a single floor with volumes of different heights, half buried to the North.

The view was not really a requirement of the clients, but the possibility of the house to develop on a single floor seduced them. Due to the island's orography, opportunities to build single-story houses are rare.

The entrance is located between the first two volumes, followed by a hall that is punctuated by a skylight on the roof. In turn, the hall connects the corridor that runs throughout the house from East to West, and which culminates in a space also lit by a skylight on the roof. The second hall, which triggers the rotation of the last volume of the composition. A small courtyard opens up, to the south, in this act.

The corridor is the hinge between the accommodation spaces (to the south) and the service spaces (to the north). From east to west, we go through the parking lot (parking and storage), the social area (dining room, living room, kitchen and shed), the bedrooms (three bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry room and clothesline outside), highlighting the suite (bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom and porch), which is the last and whose geometry makes it stand out.

The volumetry summons, on the outside, a bay headed by the tallest volumes (suite and social), whose corners are eaten away by porches. At the center is the pool that joins the two geometries of the composition.

Project completion

2022

Gross floor area

184,73 m²

Location

Câmara de Lobos

The land is located in Câmara de Lobos, in a residential area about 77.50m above the sea. It faces a street to the East, a house to the North, an empty lot to the South, and a cliff to the West. The view is more interesting towards the south (sea) and west (opposite slope). The house has two emerging floors and its shape generates two strips, one longer (to the west) than the other (to the east) in line with the trapezoidal shape of the terrain.

On the ground floor, in the East strip, there is the covered outdoor parking, a storage compartment with access from the outside, the entrance served by a large closet that folds into the living room, the social bathroom (with entrance through the closet) and the access ladder to the upper floor. The entire East façade is sheltered by a porch formed by a flowerbed, with the aim of bringing a bit of garden to the house. Next, on the West strip, is the open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen, and a pantry. Attached to the living room there is a porch facing south and west. On the opposite side (North/West) there is another porch, similar, to support the barbecue.

On the upper floor, in the East strip, there is a bedroom, the laundry room with access to a patio-drying area, the stairs, and the bathroom and walk-in-closet of the suite. In the West strip there is the other bedroom, the bathroom common to the rooms and the suite's bedroom. Over the porches on the ground floor there are two balconies, one for the suite (South/West) and one common to the bedrooms (North/West). The balconies have flowerbeds, similar to the one that shapes the porch to the East and with the same purpose. There is also a patio immediately ahead of the stairs, facing west.

The house is thermally insulated from the outside and painted white. With the exception of the slabs, flowerbeds and the parking pillar, in concrete. Panels in sucupira wood line the corner between the parking lot and the front door of the house and hide a storage compartment dedicated to the parking lot and a shoe cabinet in the spare space under the stairs. On the outskirts, adjacent to the North wall is the barbecue and to the East wall is the rubbish house and a shelter for dogs.

Project completion

2020

Gross floor area

232,20 m²

Location

Funchal

The house was built on a land about 115m above sea level with an impressive view over the Bay of Funchal, located in a densely urbanized residential area. Before, there was a stone masonry house with a hip roof and extensions covered with zinc, and also a wooden annex. Both in a high state of degradation.

The placement of the house respects the orientation of the neighbors and privileges the South and East exposure. It materializes in two overlapping parallelepiped volumes, with the upper part projecting partially on the lower part in order to generate shadow. It therefore develops on two open floors and one in the basement. There are two accesses: the car at the basement level and the pedestrian at the ground floor level. The interior circulation spaces are concentrated to the North of the house.

Program distribution is common. On the basement floor there is the garage, a toilet, a storage space and a workshop. Two lanterns to the North bring light and air to the garage.

On the ground floor are the leisure areas such as the living room, dining room and kitchen in open space, a toilet, a storage space and the laundry room. The entire South façade is torn by large windows shaded from the outside by slatted wooden cambula panels in a harmonic system. The slatted panels extend in part, fixed, for the East and West facades. The staircase to the upper floor is accompanied, on the landings, by windows to the North.

And on the top floor are two bedrooms, a toilet and a suite. Along the South façade there is a large balcony that runs through the three bedrooms and large windows that partially bend towards the East façade.

On the South exterior wall there is a glass balcony so that you can see the landscape from inside the house. The garden surrounding the house has an olive tree planted next to the pedestrian entrance, flowers and shrubs along the East wall and aromatic herbs to the North.

Project completion

2025

Gross floor area

730,38 m²

Location

Calheta

Situated in Lombo do Salão, in the municipality of Calheta, the project is based on the relationship between architecture, topography and landscape. The site, characterised by a difference in level of approximately ten metres, lies at the transition between residential development and agricultural landscape, with a prime south-facing orientation and views over the Atlantic Ocean.

Rather than working against the slope, the design uses it as an organising principle. The development is spread across three terraces, following the natural morphology of the site and minimising the visual impact of the complex on the hillside. Each level comprises a self-contained house, complete with a garden, swimming pool and private outdoor spaces.

The staggered layout allows the green roofs to function as an extension of the landscape and, at the same time, as outdoor spaces for the houses situated on the upper levels. This strategy contributes to a greater integration of the building into the site, preserving the visual distinction between the different levels and ensuring privacy between the residential units.

The main access, for both vehicles and pedestrians, is via Caminho do Lombo do Salão. The entrance is organised as a gradual approach, passing through landscaped areas, a covered car park and footpaths that follow the slope. A second access point, via Vereda do Piquinho de Baixo, serves as a complementary and service route.

Inside the houses, the communal and private areas are intersected by small courtyards, carved into the building's volume, which trigger the convex rotation of the structures' geometry. This effect occurs gradually, from the upper house to the lower one. The living, dining and kitchen areas are laid out as open-plan spaces and establish a direct relationship with the gardens, porches and swimming pools. The private spaces are shielded from the rest of the layout and also establish a connection with the gardens.

The outdoor spaces play a central role in the experience of the project. Courtyards, gardens, covered areas, barbecues, sun terraces and swimming pools extend the interior spaces and allow for different ways of using them throughout the day.

The choice of materials reinforces the project's mineral and landscape-inspired character. Exposed concrete is used for the walls and parapets, whilst the white façades bring light to the whole development. White walls, exposed concrete surfaces, grey-painted iron balconies, permeable concrete and ceramic paving, the gardens, natural anodised aluminium and sucupira wood complete a restrained palette, based on the durability and natural expression of the materials.

The project thus proposes three distinct ways of inhabiting the same hillside, linked by a common strategy of adapting to the terrain, solar orientation, privacy and a continuous relationship with the landscape of Calheta.

Project completion

2025

Gross floor area

191,89 m²

Location

Funchal

Set on a 741m² plot in Funchal, the house is designed around its relationship with the solar orientation, the garden and the sea view. It is a harmonious composition that responds to the programme and the dynamics of the house, consisting of mass and void elements emphasised by different material textures in earthy tones.

The building is organised over two storeys. The ground floor houses the social areas, designed as an open-plan space, where the kitchen, dining room and living room extend onto a south-facing porch. This outdoor space incorporates dining and seating areas and provides a direct link to the swimming pool and garden.

The office is situated in a more secluded area, whilst remaining close to the social area. The bathroom also serves the swimming pool.

The upper floor houses the private areas, comprising two bedrooms, a shared bathroom and a suite with a walk-in wardrobe and en-suite bathroom. The balconies reinforce the connection with the surroundings, making the most of the south-facing orientation and the sea view.

The exterior is conceived as an extension of the house, through a sequence of covered and open spaces, gardened areas and informal pathways. Paved areas are kept to a minimum, preserving the permeability of the site.

The materiality is based on a restrained palette of beige tones, natural cork, black window frames, wood and concrete. Cork covers the interior voids (porches and balconies) lending them texture and a more welcoming atmosphere.

The existing drainage channel along the northern and eastern boundaries of the plot is left open to the sky, preserving its function and acknowledging its presence within the Madeiran landscape.

The project thus seeks to establish a continuous relationship between interior and exterior, bringing together light, matter and landscape in a house that is open to the surrounding garden and the stunning sea views.

Project completion

2025

Gross floor area

282,95 m²

Location

Calheta

Located in Paul do Mar, on the south-west coast of the island of Madeira, the project is set on a 988m² plot comprising three agricultural terraces and a group of basalt stone ruins. The proposal is based on an interpretation of this pre-existing structure, seeking to integrate a house without erasing the rural and architectural heritage of the site.

The intervention preserves the original topography of the site, the stone walls and the external stone staircases that link the different levels. The house is situated on the upper terrace; indeed, it interrupts the stone wall that supports it. It follows the existing alignments and relates to the ruins of the old haylofts to the south and a house to the east.

The house has a compact volume with a rectangular floor plan, organised over two storeys and topped by a hipped roof without eaves. This configuration reinterprets elements of vernacular architecture—such as the rhythm of the façade and the uniformity of the openings—through a contemporary design language that finds its greatest expression in the interior organisation of the space.

The ground floor houses the social areas (kitchen, dining room and living room) in an open-plan layout, as well as a bathroom and a bedroom/office. The staircase leading to the upper floor is a sculptural element that punctuates the continuity of the social space, situated between the living room and the dining room. The latter two rooms feature double-height ceilings.

To the south, the interior spaces extend out onto a porch facing the sea. This transitional area shields the windows from direct sunlight and creates an outdoor space for dining and relaxation, strengthening the connection between the house, the terraces and the landscape.

On the upper floor there are two en-suite bedrooms, both with bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes, opening onto a shared south-facing balcony with a stunning view of the sea.

The restoration of the ruins is one of the central elements of the proposal. The swimming pool and sun terrace are incorporated into the haylofts on the middle terrace (to the south). The existing walls now delineate the new outdoor spaces, framing the water, the vegetation and the sea view. The service areas, storage spaces and ancillary sanitary facilities are integrated into the lower level, making use of the topography to minimise their impact on the landscape.

The ruin of the house to the east has been transformed into a guest studio, comprising an open-plan bedroom and kitchen, and a bathroom. The new roof is hipped (in keeping with the original, which no longer exists) and incorporates two skylights that complement the natural lighting of the interior spaces.

The choice of materials establishes a relationship between the new and the existing. The dry-laid stonework has been preserved, whilst the new construction combines white surfaces, white aluminium window frames, wood, exposed concrete, and metal elements painted in medium green.

The project therefore seeks to build upon what is already present. The new architecture adapts to the topography, reuses the existing ruins and transforms the former agricultural spaces into a contemporary domestic sequence, while keeping visible the traces of time and the historical occupation of the site.