House in Alzejur | Portugal By Ricardo Carvalho Joana Vilhena

The deployment of the house was conditioned by the duplicity of accessibility to the lot, which is configured by two public roads. The project seeks to exploit this situation to define the criteria for establishing access and privacy, all combined with an optimal solar exposure. Another of the conditions is the aggressiveness of prevailing winds. The elementary formal proposal seeks to reconcile all the points listed. The materials are based on an economy of means in accordance with the establishment of the assumptions listed above. The frame is made of reinforced concrete porch, with double panels of masonry, to cover the plain exterior, plastered and painted white.

Accesses to the lobby through a courtyard-channel, which runs through the whole house visually to hold an olive tree, again abroad. The program stipulated the functional separation of the house in two groups of rooms, spread over two floors, served by the same common area living room and kitchen. On the ground floor hinges, from the lobby, two bedrooms and a living room, which is also the space ladder (partly double right foot) to access the first floor. The main room, divided in two parts, is oriented to the east-west. On the first floor is accessed from a corridor, three bedrooms. Hence it comes to a shared terrace, facing south, protected from the winds, dominant on the valley and the salt.....more
Location: Alzejur

Project: 2000/2001

Work: 2001/2002

Architecture: Ricardo Carvalho Joana Vilhena

Team: Joana Vilhena, Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Meco

Client: Private

Photo © rcjvarquitectos