joão mendes ribeiro elevates minimal portuguese house with concrete volume
all images by jose campos

 

 

 

portuguese architect joão mendes ribeiro‘s recently completed ‘house in fonte boa’, a two-storey single family residence based on a small estate located in cantral portugal’s rabaçal valley. encompassed by mountains, a vineyard and olive trees, the property is located on the west side of the land, which was once occupied by a roman villa. orientated to maximize sun exposure, the precise location solidifies the building’s positioning on the sloped terrain, and in turn, preserving the existing greenery.

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a concrete block supports the structure from the sloped topography

 

 

 

comprised of a rectangular volume with a zinc-lined pitched roof, the form mimics the shape of the traditional housing typography. the volume detaches itself from the slope with a concrete base which internally, holds the wine cellar. meanwhile, a succession of platforms leads to the entrance of the home which has been organized in three parts: utility, living/dining and bedrooms. a timber cabinet-cum-staircase provides a connection between the two floors, while reinforcing the longitudinal direction of the house. filled with light, a relationship between the interiors and the exteriors is consistent, addressed by a series of big and small openings; the differing sizes intensifying view and daylight.

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inside the concrete block, holds a small wine cellar

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the single large window interrupts the white façade

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the open garage, built below the terrain level, is enclosed by concrete walls

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a succession of platforms leads to the entrance of the house

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a glass windbreak room protects the entrance of the house

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the living space

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the kitchen and staircase reinforces the longitudinal organization of the interior

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the large window frames the green mountainside

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the staircase leads upstairs and acts as a storage system at the same time

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the bedrooms are located on the second floor

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the house reinterprets the traditional, single family housing typology

 

 

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