House in Cascais
Cascais, Portugal · 2002
Photo · Photo by Luís Ferreira Alves
This project demonstrates the integration of a minimalist, elevated concrete pavilion into a sloping, wooded landscape, utilizing a cantilevered structure to preserve the natural terrain and create a sheltered outdoor space.
- What we like about this project
- The pool edge is flush with the lawn, creating a minimalist water plane that reflects the elevated house.
Materials
- concrete
- glass
- steel
- stone
Visual identifiers
- cantilevered-concrete
- elevated-pavilion
- swimming-pool
- sliding-glass-doors
- undercroft
Style tags
- minimalist
- modernist
- brutalist-influence
Visual tags
- modernist-villa
- floating-volume
- wooded-site
- portuguese-architecture
- horizontal-emphasis
- Geometry
- A long, elevated rectangular concrete volume floats above a sloping natural terrain, supported by recessed columns and a stone-clad base. The facade features a continuous horizontal band of floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors set back within a deep concrete frame.
- Facade system
- Recessed concrete frame with integrated sliding glass doors and a simple metal balustrade.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete slab and column system with a central structural core.
- Spatial scale
- A single-story elevated residential pavilion overlooking a domestic swimming pool.
- Lighting
- Overcast, diffused daylight casting soft shadows beneath the cantilevered volume and reflecting off the pool surface.
- Atmosphere
- A quiet, serene atmosphere where the heavy concrete structure appears to float weightlessly among the trees.
- Environmental context
- A wooded residential plot in Cascais, Portugal, characterized by mature pine trees, natural rock formations, and a grassy slope.
- Spatial experience
- The building hovers over the natural landscape, creating a sheltered undercroft while offering elevated, panoramic views of the surrounding pine trees and pool from the continuous glazed balcony.
- Composition rhythm
- A strong horizontal rhythm established by the continuous concrete slab, mirrored by the rectangular pool in the foreground.
- Style reading
- Mid-century influenced Portuguese minimalism
- Program
- Single-family private residence
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- concrete, glass, steel, stone
- Visual identifiers
- cantilevered-concrete, elevated-pavilion, swimming-pool, sliding-glass-doors, undercroft
- Style tags
- minimalist, modernist, brutalist-influence
- Visual tags
- modernist-villa, floating-volume, wooded-site, portuguese-architecture, horizontal-emphasis
- Geometry
- A long, elevated rectangular concrete volume floats above a sloping natural terrain, supported by recessed columns and a stone-clad base. The facade features a continuous horizontal band of floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors set back within a deep concrete frame.
- Facade system
- Recessed concrete frame with integrated sliding glass doors and a simple metal balustrade.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete slab and column system with a central structural core.
- Spatial scale
- A single-story elevated residential pavilion overlooking a domestic swimming pool.
- Lighting
- Overcast, diffused daylight casting soft shadows beneath the cantilevered volume and reflecting off the pool surface.
- Atmosphere
- A quiet, serene atmosphere where the heavy concrete structure appears to float weightlessly among the trees.
- Environmental context
- A wooded residential plot in Cascais, Portugal, characterized by mature pine trees, natural rock formations, and a grassy slope.
- Spatial experience
- The building hovers over the natural landscape, creating a sheltered undercroft while offering elevated, panoramic views of the surrounding pine trees and pool from the continuous glazed balcony.
- Composition rhythm
- A strong horizontal rhythm established by the continuous concrete slab, mirrored by the rectangular pool in the foreground.
- Style reading
- Mid-century influenced Portuguese minimalism
- Program
- Single-family private residence
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture