Villa Escarpa Mario Martins Atelier

Villa Escarpa Mario Martins Atelier

HOUSES•LUZ, PORTUGAL

Architects: Mario Martins Atelier

Year: 2012

Photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Manufacturers: Planikafire, Q-railing

In the municipality of Lagos, Algarve, in the southern part of Portugal, Villa Escarpa is close to the community of Praia da Luz.

The new house had to be built in the location of the old one as a requirement of the planning approval. This was situated in an exceptional location on an escarpment overlooking the Algarve coastline and the village of Praia da Luz, while having little architectural or technical quality.

As a result, the footprint was predefined, situated on a very incline slope, and exposed to the predominant winds. Ironically, it is these limitations and challenges that served as the project's conceptual foundation.

We designed covered terraces and courtyards for outdoor living using a clean, modern architectural language. These are taken from the white, incredibly transparent horizontal volume. This volume appears to be floating above the surrounding landscape as it is supported by an exposed concrete pillar. The building's challenging balance is resolved with its physical support, minimizing the building's impact on the environment that we aim to conserve. This guarantees a pleasing visual lightness.

The large living and kitchen areas of the house are divided by a long water surface. Terraces that are wind-protected but open to the sun and breathtaking vistas add to the appeal of these areas. This is the home's open and flexible communal space.

Access to the four bedrooms is through a hallway that parallels the main courtyard. The bedrooms are in a separate section. The natural light in this private courtyard is filtered, making it a cozy and appealing space.

The lowest level offers technical assistance and storage. The top patio highlights how the structure appears to float in its surroundings.

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Vidigal House Contaminar Arquitectos

Vidigal House Contaminar Arquitectos

HOUSES•LEIRIA, PORTUGAL

Architects: Contaminar Arquitectos

Area: 246 m²

Area: 246 m²

Year: 2010

Year: 2010

photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

This single-family house is located on a triangular-like plot, next to a highway that crosses an extensive green area, near the city of Leiria. The house consists of two volumes that intersect as a closed angle, following the shape of the plot. The larger volume has its geometry marked by oblique lines, which rise from the ground.

The stairs, at the intersection point, is the generator of this three-floor volume, where different functions are organized: at the lower level is the basement with parking and storage; above are the social areas - the living room on the ground floor and a mezzanine upstairs. The other volume is smaller and seems to float in the air. The first-floor level looks like a white box that lays over a concrete block, pigmented in dark gray, which conveys a feeling of lightness.

The upper floor houses the private area with three bedrooms, and the ground floor contains the kitchen that opens up to a covered outdoor area with functional space. The living room is the core of Vidigal House, expanding over the surroundings through the large windows that shape their walls. The living experience of the spaces is extremely fluid and generous in natural light.

V House Paz Gersh Architects

V House Paz Gersh Architects

HOUSES•TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Architects: Paz Gersh Architects

Area: 350 m²

Area: 350 m²

Year: 2013

Year: 2013

photographs: Amit Giron

Photographs: Amit Giron, Itay Sikolsky

The House is located in one of Tel Aviv's historically significant neighborhoods. The V home design concept 

envisioned a contemporary Mediterranean villa with a historically significant wall still standing. A patio was 

built as an outdoor foyer between the old wall and the house. The terrace protects the bedroom from the street by acting as a transparent interior elevation.

The public areas are laid out in an open layout between the patio and the outdoor garden on the ground floor. The goal of the design was to blur the lines between inside public spaces and open gardens. The top windows open to the gardens, while the bottom floor's glass elevations serve as moving dividers. A framing feature is employed in the external elevation design to isolate a section of the garden's landscape.

Within the glass-framed elevations, a combination of soft and rough materials were used to design the interiors. 

On the ground floor, the kitchen is made up of dark brown woods and stainless steel, while the living room is 

furnished with an eclectic mix of pieces that range in style from the 1960s to modern. The courtyard of the 

Mediterranean garden houses the swimming pool. The pool serves as an oasis in the heated local climate while 

reflecting the nearby metropolitan imagery inside the home.

A set of outdoor balconies on the upper stories were designed to look out into the front patio and the southern 

back garden. Each patio, garden, balcony, and terrace was designed with local plants and animals in mind.

The original intention of the architect was to look for an architectural vocabulary that mixes regional allusions 

and modern Mediterranean characteristics. These regional features, such patios, terraces, and courtyards, are 

reinterpreted in the modern era.

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Twosome House Atelier RZLBD

Twosome House Atelier RZLBD

HOUSES•TORONTO, CANADA

Architects: Atelier RZLBD

Area: 540 m²

Year: 2019

Photographs: Borzu Talaie

Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Graff, Napoleon, Regency, Savaria, Subzero/Wolf, Unilock, Acadian Flooring, Adobe, Gib-San, Porcelain Tiles, Royal Lighting, Total Cabinet

Lead Architect: Reza Aliabadi

Mechanical: Noor Design Inc.

Structure: Recon Consulting

Design Team:Sebastien Beauregard, Arman Azar, Aziza Asat, James Chungwon Park

City:Toronto

Country:Canada

A five-person family can live in the 540 square meter, two-story Twosome House in Etobicoke. Floor layouts are established by precise regulating lines in the manner of Louis I. Kahn. The property is divided into various zones by two axes, with rooms arranged in accordance with its program. The division of spaces into "public/private" and "servant/served" areas creates a distinct sense of order throughout the house. North to south is the project's first dividing line. When approaching, the building appears as two separate volumes: an eastern wing in the shape of a square covered in stone veneer and a western block covered in stucco. Family-friendly sections are separated from open spaces intended for hosting visitors by this two-part arrangement, which is preserved to the west (which dominate the eastern side). This translates to a cozy kitchen and family room on the ground floor, hidden away in the western corridor's more limited space, and a flexible living room in the square-shaped wing that seems appropriately majestic in scale. The primary entry of the house is a two-meter-wide hallway that is somewhat recessed and serves as a point of reference between these parts.

East to west runs a second defining axis through the eastern part of the house. A wraparound staircase is supported by a triple-height concrete wall that serves as the volume's main focal point. Its purpose was to create the home as a solid fortress, but it also served as a boundary: on one side, there are rooms for service operations that should be kept out of sight, and on the other, there are more flexible areas for entertaining.

For instance, on the second level of the house, the region south of the staircase is dominated by a landing that looks out onto the spectacular double-height living room, while the area north of the staircase is filled by a laundry room, the second mechanical room, and an elevator. The two-volume plan of the house organizes its program while also providing aesthetic and environmental benefits. One benefit is that it makes the large property appear less imposing in comparison to other surrounding houses by softening its scale. Another benefit is better control of light and heat. As a brise soleil, the rectangular western volume shields the neighboring wing from wind and sunlight. The home's energy-saving features also include two separate mechanical rooms, a double-height moveable shade that partially covers the southern windows of the eastern wing, and radiant heating in the basement.

Amenity rooms that encourage wellness were also important because one of the homeowners works in the health sector. The proposal features a fitness center, an outdoor infinity pool, a sauna, and a jacuzzi for rehabilitation after a workout. A greater connection to the natural world is encouraged by the design's introduction of peaceful periods. For instance, a reflecting pool constructed outside the basement sauna can be lit from above by one of the seven skylights that are installed, thanks to a glass floor in the first-floor corridor.

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