vitor vilhena: house in odemira, portugal

the specific natural landscape of the estate of arrifoias works in conjunction with the elegantly reductive architecture of  vitor vilhena in ‘the house in odemira’. the richness of the topography lies in it’s contained flatness, a feature that the portuguese architect seeks to capture with the stark white planes of the building. the L-shaped plan serves to maximize the building’s exposure to the south-light and sun-soaked mountainous views. vilhena values, above all, a ‘privileged contemplation of the landscape’ by carefully developing the volumes of space according site and program. these planar volumes follow the subtle lines in the landscape while creating their own complexity with panoramic cut outs.

approach to the house, greeted by the swimming pool
image © joao morgado | all images courtesy of vitor vilhena

rear elevation
image © joao morgado

exterior patio
image © joao morgado

at night, the cut outs dot the landscape with warm yellow squares
image © joao morgado

the entry is carefully carved into the plane, keeping with the overall language of the built form
image © joao morgado

situated on a sloping site that mimics the lines on the landscape
image © joao morgado

solid and void are balanced according to program and ideal views of the site
image © joao morgado

image © joao morgado

image © joao morgado

a total respect for the site’s visual resources was the objective of the project
image © joao morgado

image © joao morgado

traditional tile floors keep the house cool in the summer
image © joao morgado

framed views of the landscape
image © joao morgado

image © joao morgado

site plan

floor plan

section

section

section

elevation

elevation