ARX

The site is located in São Pedro do Estoril, Cascais, a short walk from the beach. The seaside setting defines the privileged character of the area, once a summer retreat for the bourgeoisie and aristocratic families.

The plot is part of a large-scale development, in a medium-density sector dedicated exclusively to single-family homes.

The allotment permit regulations set out basic parameters: construction at the centre of the plot, leaving the surrounding space for garden, and a three-storey house, one of them below ground, while also restricting the footprint and total gross floor area. Given the architectural variations of the neighbouring houses, we sought here a conceptual archetype closer to the area's original summer houses, with their paradigm of the pitched roof, to anchor our design approach. The house was conceived as a permanent residence for a family with two daughters.

The basement level, served by a gently sloping ramp leading from the street to the garage, has space for three cars. The ground floor accommodates the daytime areas of the house and the parents' bedroom. The space is fluid, proposing an integrated relationship between interior and exterior, with a garden that feels natural thanks to minimal reshaping of the ground. Here we experience nature, sunlight and water. We sense the nearby sound of the waves and the smell of the sea air. The upper floor is dedicated to the bedrooms of both daughters and an informal family room. The varying ceiling heights created by the pitched roofs result in a space of domestic comfort and an ambiguous sense of scale.

The exterior skin of the house is its skeleton, built with concrete walls cast in situ. The slabs are in smooth, exposed grey concrete, while the walls and roof are in red pigmented concrete, cast on site using vertical board formwork. Its subtle texture evokes the simplicity of the vernacular buildings of the Portuguese coast.