Single-family house

ESMORIZ
HOUSE

LOCATION

Esmoriz, Portugal

Year

2025

CONSTRUCTION AREA

686 m2

LAND AREA

2.090 m2

Client

Private

Photographer

João Morgado

ESMORIZ
HOUSE

This project is founded on two fundamental principles: the value of family life and the pursuit of a balance between closeness and privacy. The architecture has been conceived to encourage interaction and shared experiences between generations, while preserving the autonomy and comfort of each living unit.

The possibility of accommodating family members whenever needed was one of the project's primary starting points. Rather than creating two clearly independent dwellings, the design embraces an integrated solution in which both coexist within a single architectural gesture.

Externally, the building is perceived as a continuous and cohesive volume, conveying the image of a single residence. It is only through the experience of its interior that the spatial organization gradually reveals itself, allowing the existence of two distinct yet carefully interconnected living areas to be understood. This arrangement ensures both the closeness of family life and the privacy required for each household.

The house is developed on a single level, fostering a close relationship with the site and a living experience defined by fluid circulation. The programme clearly distinguishes the social areas from the more private spaces. The communal areas extend naturally towards the gardens and swimming pool, dissolving the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. In contrast, the private spaces find within the courtyards and surrounding greenery an atmosphere of retreat, tranquillity, and contemplation.

The architectural language is based on the simplicity of form and the honesty of materials. Two exposed concrete volumes establish the primary structure of the composition, connected by a corten steel-clad volume that accommodates the garage and technical spaces, acting as the element that unifies the entire ensemble. The solidity of the concrete enters into dialogue with the warm tones of the corten steel and the texture of timber, creating an architecture of timeless character in which materiality plays a fundamental role in shaping the project's identity.

Architecture is therefore affirmed as a framework for human relationships: a place where closeness is not achieved through the absence of boundaries, but through the subtle way in which spaces meet, complement one another, and together shape the experience of dwelling.