03/09/2026
House in Douro revisited, 2026
The house is conceived from its roof. An exposed timber structure of trusses and beams extends continuously over living spaces, bedrooms and service areas, becoming the element that unifies the whole.
Beneath it, the programme is organised around a central white volume containing the kitchen and bathroom. Acting as a hinge between the social and private areas, this core frees the perimeter and allows the main spaces to open directly onto the orchard.
The openings are understood as precise cuts in the enclosure, bringing the orange grove, the dry-stone wall and the surrounding landscape into the domestic space.
Wide timber floorboards run continuously throughout the house, establishing a material relationship with the raw finish of the walls and the cream ceramic surfaces of the bathroom.
The construction is reduced to three primary materials, allowing light and landscape to become part of the architecture itself.
images by opere