check @ | House H by De Vylder Vinck Taillieu
of architecture
The briefing was to build a three-bedroom house on top of a warehouse built in the 80′s, where part of the roof was made with a flat slab and a small balcony, precisely with that idea of later building the house.
Given the constraints of the existing warehouse, the house shape turns out to be automatically set: a box that rests on the existing structure. The rooms are placed to the east, the toilets to the west, as well as the kitchen, looking to a centennial olive tree. The existing balcony will be maintained and “duplicated” as a shading element. The living room is placed south where its south/east corner is diagonally cut in a way that the balcony could enlarge and offer an outdoor area protected from the sun and rain, overlooking the valley.
Architecture: Miguel Marcelino
Location: Chícharo, Torres Novas – Portugal
Photography: Joao Morgado – Architecture Photography
The entire rear elevation has been replaced with two-storey glazing by excavating down into the garden, above which a new glass-box kitchen extension floats dramatically. Inverting the traditional hierarchy of domestic architecture, the bedrooms are located on the lower level, with living spaces on the upper level to receive more daylight and retain access to the terraced outdoor areas.
Three interesting shots displaying an extraordinary union between old & existing buildings, an amazing exterior space meeting room and a floating stairway on the inside.