exposed concrete structure completes materiality of ‘casa RM’ in portugal

porto-based architect pedro miguel santos has realized ‘casa RM’, a spacious single-story family home in penafiel, portugal. formed as a combination of volumes varying in dimension, the residence generates a U-shaped layout that protects occupants from the adjacent buildings and busy streets.

all images by alexander bogorodskiy

pedro miguel santos started designing the project from the outside. the dwelling is shaped as a group of blind volumes, all in differing sizes, seeking to make a transition of scale to the surrounding buildings, and at the same time to create a dynamic facade. this facade is characterized by a complete absence of openings, since it is oriented towards the north bustling road. 

the U-shaped plan, generates a central exterior patio, with all bedrooms opening towards it, to preserve their privacy, away from the internal social areas. the living room is oriented to the southwest in order to obtain natural light until the end of the day, along with unobstructed views of the large garden in the backyard.

for both structural and financial reasons, the house was constructed with masonry walls and concrete structure; the most commonly used materials in north potugal. here, the concrete, which is traditionally hidden inside the walls, is fully revealed so as to offer interesting, complex materiality to the interior. at the same time, the ceiling height, which varies according to the program, is visually broken by the reinforced concrete structure that separates two different colors on the walls. 

the house is then split into two levels separated by two steps, with the dining/kitchen space situated on the lower part, and living/bedroom space on the upper one. a window over the entire length of the kitchen counter reveals the relationship of heights between indoor and outdoor, revealing the garden of the outdoor patio at the exact same level as the counter top. 

project info:

name: casa RM
architect: pedro miguel santos
location: penafiel, portugal

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