House in Miramar - the place and the opportunity
- House, Project & Construction
- Miramar, Vila Nova de Gaia, 1999/2001
Located on the closing lot of a subdivision in Miramar, the house occupies an exceptional position — the highest and most open point, with a wide view and a direct relationship with the sunset light.
The plot
The plot, slightly elevated in relation to the street, immediately offers an opportunity for the project's design: the natural position in relation to the public space, which transforms into privacy, comfort, and serenity.
Organization and interior life
The House in Miramar is distributed over three floors, adapting in a crafted manner to the plot's slope.
The basement, partially buried and leveled with the street, houses the garage and a game and leisure room, lit and ventilated by an English well.
The exterior stairs establish a direct connection between this level and the intermediate floor garden, reinforcing the continuity between the arrival floor and the garden floor.
The intermediate floor, in direct contact with the garden, is the center of the house's social life.
Here, the living room and kitchen communicate visually and functionally, separated only by a dining counter that extends the conviviality.
The natural light crosses the space from south to west, drawing luminous variations throughout the day and bringing the outside in.
The upper floor is the private domain.
The four bedrooms, three of them facing west, enjoy open views and a privileged visual relationship with the garden.
The main bedroom, with openings to the south and west, follows the daily cycle of light — from waking up to dusk.
Form, light, and privacy
The house is open and luminous, but also sheltered and controlled.
The glazed facades allow for a dialogue between the interior and exterior without compromising the intimacy of the spaces.
The transparency is calibrated: the house exposes itself to the landscape, but protects itself from external views.
Sustainability and permanence
The construction is marked by technical robustness and formal clarity.
The thermal insulation of the facades, the choice of high-performance glazed openings, and the quality of the materials ensure permanent thermal and acoustic comfort, with low maintenance and high durability.
Synthesis
The House in Miramar is an exercise in integration between form, topography, and light.
A project that transforms the specificity of the plot into a serene and functional home, where the rigor of architecture generates residential clarity and quality of life.
The plot
The plot, slightly elevated in relation to the street, immediately offers an opportunity for the project's design: the natural position in relation to the public space, which transforms into privacy, comfort, and serenity.
Organization and interior life
The House in Miramar is distributed over three floors, adapting in a crafted manner to the plot's slope.
The basement, partially buried and leveled with the street, houses the garage and a game and leisure room, lit and ventilated by an English well.
The exterior stairs establish a direct connection between this level and the intermediate floor garden, reinforcing the continuity between the arrival floor and the garden floor.
The intermediate floor, in direct contact with the garden, is the center of the house's social life.
Here, the living room and kitchen communicate visually and functionally, separated only by a dining counter that extends the conviviality.
The natural light crosses the space from south to west, drawing luminous variations throughout the day and bringing the outside in.
The upper floor is the private domain.
The four bedrooms, three of them facing west, enjoy open views and a privileged visual relationship with the garden.
The main bedroom, with openings to the south and west, follows the daily cycle of light — from waking up to dusk.
Form, light, and privacy
The house is open and luminous, but also sheltered and controlled.
The glazed facades allow for a dialogue between the interior and exterior without compromising the intimacy of the spaces.
The transparency is calibrated: the house exposes itself to the landscape, but protects itself from external views.
Sustainability and permanence
The construction is marked by technical robustness and formal clarity.
The thermal insulation of the facades, the choice of high-performance glazed openings, and the quality of the materials ensure permanent thermal and acoustic comfort, with low maintenance and high durability.
Synthesis
The House in Miramar is an exercise in integration between form, topography, and light.
A project that transforms the specificity of the plot into a serene and functional home, where the rigor of architecture generates residential clarity and quality of life.