Casa Vertical
Ivo Tavares

Casa Vertical

Tsou Arquitectos as Architects

Casa Vertical is a single-family house located in the city of Porto, Portugal.
The project intends to accommodate the functional program on a narrow plot in the downtown area of the city.

photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares
photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares

The organization of the various spaces is done vertically and develops around a central staircase with the rooms distributed in half floors. The staircase unifies the intervention, where the guardrail unfolds like an origami piece.
The verticality of the construction follows the street front, in the same scale and proportion. 

photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares
photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares

The house facade refers to the typical “Porto urban house” elevation composition, with its vertical windows, the tripartition of the facade and the cornice top. Likewise, it alludes to the classical structure of composition, with the demarcation of the base, shaft and chapiter. The monolithic character is reinforced by the uniform finish and the stereotomy lines of the facade.

photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares
photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares

The social spaces communicate visually, allowing several parallel experiences in contiguous and autonomous rooms. The semi-basement office is illuminated by the large window that crosses the balcony of the living room.
The private spaces, located on the higher floors, enjoy a design that guarantees privacy. 

photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares
photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares

Raw materials such as cement on all floors and soft wood for doors, cabinets and guardrails reinforce the unity of the residential project. Marble stone is used in kitchen countertops and sanitary installations.

photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares
photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares

From the office’s semi-basement, where the old walls of the preexisting building were kept, to the rooftop, the architecture is refined, creating living spaces that are varied, well-lit, with adequate rhythms for everyday life and family events.

photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares
photo_credit Ivo Tavares
Ivo Tavares

Team:

Architects: Tsou Arquitectos

Main Architect: Tiago Tsou

Architectural photographer: Ivo Tavares Studio

Caption
Caption

Materials Used:

Weber: Weber cal decor

Bruma: Leaf

Sanindusa: Urb.y

Cin: Novaqua

Caption
Caption

Read story in Português

Product Spec Sheet

ElementBrand
TapwareBruma
CoatingsCIN VALENTINE
CoatingsSaint-Gobain Weber
ToiletSanindusa
Product Spec Sheet
Tapware
Leaf by Bruma
Coatings
Novaqua by CIN VALENTINE
Coatings
webercal decor by Saint-Gobain Weber
Toilet
Urb.y by Sanindusa
Featured Projects
Latest Products
News
OMA enriches the cosmopolitan energy of New York’s iconic Tiffany & Co. flagship with an evocative new floating volume and holistic renovation
27 May 2023 News
OMA enriches the cosmopolitan energy of New York’s iconic Tiffany & Co. flagship with an evocative new floating volume and holistic renovation

Originally opening its doors in 1940, the Tiffany & Co. flagship on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue... More

10 striking homes with decorative plaster exteriors
26 May 2023 Specification
10 striking homes with decorative plaster exteriors

The use of plaster in construction is an ancient building technique. Research shows that a number of... More

Haus Hoinka demonstrates the potential of straw bale construction
26 May 2023 News
Haus Hoinka demonstrates the potential of straw bale construction

Haus Hoinka by Stuttgart-based Atelier Kaiser Shen is described as “a straw bale house in the... More

Mixtura completes the uniquely contextual convent of the Franciscan Fraternity of Bethany in Brazil
25 May 2023 News
Mixtura completes the uniquely contextual convent of the Franciscan Fraternity of Bethany in Brazil

Designed by Mixtura, a practice of young architects from Italy, the new convent of the Franciscan Fr... More

The confluence of two rivers informs the design of a new exhibition center in Chongqing
24 May 2023 News
The confluence of two rivers informs the design of a new exhibition center in Chongqing

A new Planning Exhibition Center by Tanghua Architect & Associates has been built on a hill in a... More

"Escher - Other World" combines the work of Escher with installations by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh
24 May 2023 News
"Escher - Other World" combines the work of Escher with installations by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh

In Escher – Other World, a novel exhibition at Kunstmuseum Den Haag (a modern and contemporary... More

Spruce House & Studio by ao-ft sets an exciting precedent for infill sites in the UK
24 May 2023 News
Spruce House & Studio by ao-ft sets an exciting precedent for infill sites in the UK

On an infill site in Walthamstow, East London, London-based practice ao-ft has completed a new-build... More

10 interiors with dramatic spiral staircases
23 May 2023 Specification
10 interiors with dramatic spiral staircases

A spiral staircase is one that turns or curves around a solid or open central axis. In a contemporar... More