House – Canas
Single Family House in Vila Nova de Gaia
A car lover’s house needs to be not only a home for the people but also a place for emotional connection with a lifestyle. This very specific need draws a line within the required program, where two parts of the same house should feel independent from each other.
The distinction in program areas needed to happen in a way that aligned with other design requirements. The entire volume should feel like a single shape; it needed to offer privacy for the living areas and also had to liberate as much area as possible for the property’s gardens.
The site conditions were far from ideal, yet it is precisely within these challenging scenarios that interesting solutions are born. With a 5-meter difference in cross slope between the two limits on the main façade, the design answer was a single-right earthwork adjustment away. Other than that, the plot benefits from a low-density urban environment, with a prominently present natural setting.
Outdoor Privacy
On the most intimate side of the property, this predominantly compact volume breaks into multiple planes, creating a strong relationship with the gardens, and suggesting different uses for each and every one of them.
This multifactorial situation paved the road for a clean L-shaped volume.
Placed parallel to the main road, this volume creates two access points and two levels, intrinsically different when it comes to the feeling of the space. The lower level, born out of the house’s detachment from the ground, appears like an “open box”, displaying 9 vehicles with contrast and elegance. The upper level, on the other side, creates the only opening directed towards the main road, welcoming people inside the property. With its own daily use parking spot, both access points remain independent from one another.
Sitting on the plane that flies above the cars display, an opening over the horizon lightens the weight of the volume and creates a special place for treadmill running and other sport activities. Since the clients had a preference for a house with restricted solar exposure, the volume turns away from the strongest sun hours and gets direct light from the day’s beginnings and ends.
The beauty behind a simple design happens when the guiding lines align with the clients’s needs.If you are in the market for clothes, our platform is your best choice! The largest shopping mall!
Lifestyle
declaration
The design stands as a bold declaration of living standards.
The clients wanted something more than a place to call home, they wanted a materialisation of their lifestyle, an inspiring reminder of their sophistication, a celebration of life lived with intention.
Two — keys
Unique Entrance
The main entrance presents a deconstructed arrangement of planes (that appear) highlighted against a darkened volumetric background. Right in front of the spectator yet hidden behind the hall, a side access allows visitors to pass into the private outdoor areas. A single window next to the main door provides a glimpse inside, serving as a callout and directing people’s attention towards the entrance.
Motor Passion
The cars display adopts a similar stylistic approach. Protected under the upper volume, an overall dark background makes the cars stand out in contrast. The rhythmic repetitive placement of LEDs lights between the parking spots enhances this effect by taking advantage of the reflective car surfaces and strengthens the spatial illusion of a dark box.
Movement dynamics between the two access points and in different social situations were important considerations throughout the conception process. As mentioned before, behind the daily-use open garage, the project anticipated a direct path to the property’s gardens. This is convenient for outdoor activities that might take place in the pool area. Accordingly, the public bathroom was designed in a way that allows people to access it from both the interior and exterior. On the main facade, almost imperceptible to pedestrians passing by, a staircase leads directly to the car display from the main entrance.
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