The house is located on a large field of mature cork oaks and stone pines in Grandola,Alentejo, near the Atlantic coast. Typologically, it is inspired on the Portuguese ruralsettlements known as “montes” which were usually located in dominant places in thelandscape and formed by clusters of volumes informally positioned around a courtyard. Inlike manner, the concept for this house spring from the idea of a central patio, which is themain source of light and shade.

Around and against this cut-off space, adjoining volumesaggregate the more private or servicing functions of the house —bedrooms, toilets, kitchen,pantry and storage, whereas the interstitial spaces between the volumes generate the socialareas, namely, the living- and dining- rooms and the study.

In that regard, the house works in a dialogue between opposites: on the one hand, theaggregate volumes are thick and enclosed whitewashed cells with few openings that suggestprivacy and seclusion; on the other, the common areas are organic and visually linked spacesfree-flowing through the serenity of the internal glass patio. The latter offers crisscrossingviews into the surrounding landscape of oak fields; a contemplative frame that, once again,creates an emphatic contrast with the tectonic presence of the white blocks. The seemingmassiveness obtained as a first impression, is ultimately dismissed, once the large slidingwindows vanish into the walls and release an unexpected transparency across the whole.

Material Used :

1. Velux - Flat roof windows
2. Duravit - Bathroom ceramics
3. Vola - taps
4. Local supplier – naturally coloured Ipê woods – outer spans
5. Vitrocsa - aluminium – door frames
6. Local supplier – Estremoz white stone marble - thresholds and lintels
7. Local supplier – _Azulino Cascais marble – steps
8. Local supplier – cement – flooring
8. Secil Argamassas – plaster – external walls