QJS13A HOUSE | Oeiras, Portugal | 2015
[João Navas Arquitectos]

The building is located on a plot consisting of two fractions, in the allotment of Quinta de São Januário in the parish of Paço de Arcos, municipality of Oeiras. The land area is 1.563,50 m2, with a construction area of 469,05m2.

The terrain is configured on a sloping ground, with a descending East/West direction, with a difference in elevations that approaches six meters between the two extreme points.

The house is organized around a longitudinal axis running its entire length, which follows the local landscape, with a typological geometry of relationships between the objects and the site. It was intended to create a set of spaces duly organized according to their functions, without losing their unity. In this sense, the house is structured in a floor and a half above the threshold level and a half floor below it, which are articulated by the permanence of open spaces. The T4 houses develop on three floors: Basement, ground floor and 1st floor.

The spans are designed in such a way as to allow transparency and spatial continuity with the surrounding landscape and to maximize sun exposure. The elevations are worked according to their geographical position, the relationship with the surroundings, seeking to reuse the main lines of force found.

A balance between volume, plant and space is intended. Circulations must be continuous, fluid and enhance communication processes between all the spaces. A symmetry between the volumes is proposed, a constant metric in the interior organic, with light planes emerging at the level of the corridors, which emphasizes the decisive importance of their technical characteristics and allows the creation of a system that regulates the thermal conditions and, above all, proposes a spatial fluidity inside the houses.

Balance is a fundamental aspect of the project. The houses must have a relationship characterized by a continuous dynamic, an internal dynamic, with all the spaces coming together in the central body, maintaining the desired continuity.

An austere and very sober result is intended, so the constructive detail will be effective and simple. Text description by the architects.

Source: www.joaonavasarquitectos.com
Photography by: All images belong to the architects.