a minimal white box defines lopes pertile architects' 'casa primus'

the l-shaped ‘casa primus’ in portugal

Portuguese studio Lopes Pertile Architects designs this L-shaped Casa Primus as a reflection of its client — rigorous, systematic and clear. Perched atop a podium in the grass, the dwelling occupies a hilly landscape in Ponte de Lima and opens broadly out toward sweeping views of its rural surroundings. The architects comment: ‘The house is integrated with the site and belongs to it thanks to the topography design that allows the house to welcome the surrounding, in continuity with the landscape and vice versa.’

images © João Morgado | @joaomorgadophotography

a stark white line among the rolling hills

Lopes Pertile Architects’ Casa Primus is expressed with a strong horizontality to reflect the low, continuous hills in the distance. Meanwhile, the architecture contrasts the sinuous natural setting with its materiality of glass and clear white. It stands as a stark white line within the landscape. ‘The house and the landscape enhance and intensify their own different characters,’ explain the architects.

The cloistered rooms are organized into a linear array, a cinematic row of frames opening to the horizon. Interiors flow harmoniously outward onto an interstitial deck, a threshold between the house and the lawn.

meticulous detailing for a simple construction

The team at Lopes Pertile Architects thoughtfully designs its Casa Primus down to the smallest moment. Custom-crafted details contribute to a structure that is at once simple and long-lasting, quality without expense. ‘Everything was thought, designed and custom built, this way the project can be read in its entirety,’ the group notes, ‘where the detail is the key to the whole and the whole can be reflected on its details, materialized by a careful work of local craftsmanship.’

‘The constant goal for this project was the simplicity of its result which is nothing more than a solved complexity.’