building pictures pays homage to stanley kubrick with its video tour of cabo de vila, portugal

innovation is important, especially when it comes to the way we view and experience architecture. in its latest video, architectural promotion company building pictures has devised an ever so slightly unsettling way of guiding viewers through this home in portugal. borrowing heavily from stanley kubrick’s masterpiece of horror ‘the shining’, the film follows a girl as she cycles her red tricycle around the home. it’s a novel way of exploring the house that (thankfully) doesn’t involve any creepy twins or tidal waves of blood. 

the novel video follows a girl as she explore the house on her red tricycle
all images © building pictures

the house is called the cabo de vila and was designed by architectural studio spaceworkers. starting off in the garage of the vila, building pictures’ video follow the girl’s journey as she makes her way from room to room. mapping the curving plan of the home, the girl makes her first stop in the living area, defined by a floating stove and black framed floor to ceiling windows. after taking a quick peek at the portuguese countryside, we continue to the master bedroom. on the way, the tricycle lead steadishot guides us through the kitchen, catching a glimpse of the vila’s luscious inner courtyard. 

the video starts in the garage and continues through to the rest of the house

more cute than creepy, the video suggests a new way of presenting architecture to an audience that goes beyond mere presentation. suggesting a narrative viewpoint, or just exploring a house from the eyes of a child, creates a fresh perspective on what could otherwise have been just another house tour. ‘cabo de vila house tries to vanish all the walls and barriers between spaces, the same way this movie tries to break the usual way of representing architecture’, say the studio. 

the video suggests a new way of presenting architecture to an audience that goes beyond simple presentation

the novel video lets you explore the house through the eyes of a child

floor to ceiling black framed windows invite light into the open plan living room

a floating stove is the main attraction in the vila’s sitting room

embedded into the hillside, the house is accompanied by a pool 

curving pointed corners lend the home a dramatic character

the vila was designed by architectural firm spaceworkers

the short film ends with the girl making her way along the building’s terrace

a recessed façade creates a natural concrete terrace 

dark wood acts as a medium between the building’s mirrored roof and base

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.