Towards the Old World

A Brazilian family asked us to design their home in Portugal. A house that symbolized a flight to a new life in a new country.

The sloping terrain that offers stunning views of Sintra’s mountains and the City Castle was the chosen spot for landing. A landscape that is vastly different from the Brazilian tropical, but equally beautiful amidst large rocks, cork and olive trees.

Aiming for a quicker and necessary constructive speed, we chose to work with CLT (Cross Laminated Timber). This technique allows us to use few pillars and beams, and enables pre-digitized fabrication. The whole house, except for the basement, will be produced in the factory for later assembly on the ground. In line with the most rigid concepts of energy conservation, the house will have a 10 cm cork coating in all the outer walls, and roof. The thinnest branches of the cork tree cannot be utilized to manufacture regular stoppers, and its byproduct was used in the development of insulation boards.

This abundant material in Portugal, is extremely useful for the sustainability strategies of the building. Frames with double glazing, and all other construction materials were incorporated in order to guarantee the environmental comfort in all four seasons. The terraced house follows mountainous landscape composition while taking inspiration from Brazil, the concept of great views, and wide terraces, allowing the contact with the surrounding nature throughout the year.