Valley House - Luxury House Contemporary

Architect: Guilherme Machado Vaz

Client: Júlio Machado Vaz
Location: Vieira do Minho, Portugal
Project: 1998 2002
Construction: 2002 2005
Consultants: SGPE, lda.
Contractor: António Dias Ribeiro, Lda.
Constructed Area: 350m2
Budget: 250.000 EURO (US $386.200)
Photographs: Leonardo Finotti

When you enter the site you see the house hidden behind nature without any constructed way to the entrance which makes it look even more as an isolated element in space. This ` surprise element ‘ (Montesquieu) contributes to stimulate the observer and its perception of the relation between the space and the house. The architectonic experience is made to the base of sensorial stimulations. The entrance is a covered exterior space that gives access to the garage and to the interior of the house. The stairs lead to the entry hall that separates the veranda from the living room. Each space has a different relation with the surroundings which confers a unique identity to them. The opened veranda, protected by the trees, is a place of libation of nature, where we get lost inside ourselves.

The bedroom’s area consists of two identical nucleuses with a hall, two rooms and bathroom. The house is made of concrete, used as a constructive and finishing element, searching a hard materiality and contrasting aesthetics with the chromatic and textural diversity of nature that encircles it. On the inside, this contrast is emphasized through the neutral color that coat walls and ceiling and by the ‘monotonous’ way that space is designed.