The 2 storey house is located on an 8 x 40 meters (24 x 120 feet) lot in the historical urban fabric of the city of Cartaxo, Portugal. It presents itself as a white volume over a transparent ground floor.

courtesy CVDB arquitectos | photo by FG + SG

A central patio and a garden allow the light to enter the different spaces of the house during the day. This central patio plays an important role in the organisation of the house, designing a void, around which the house develops itself.

The project explores the length of the site. The inhabitants of the house move around the interior spaces according to a long axis. This axis emphasizes the visual relations between the interior spaces of the house and the garden. The depth of the site is explored and underlined by the presence of a white wall, accompanying the main circulation axis. While moving along this axis, the visual relationship with the garden is always maintained.

courtesy CVDB arquitectos | photo by FG + SG

The family's main social areas, which are located on the ground floor, are characterized by different ceiling heights, thus presenting different ambiances.

The stairwell articulating the different floors presents different materialities. It is composed of a floating stair, playing with transparencies and creating a visual filter on the upper part, and a more massive and sculptural lower part.

courtesy CVDB arquitectos | photo by FG + SG

Large windows emphasize the relation between the interior spaces, the garden and the courtyard that brings light to the kitchen and to a small office.

The first floor accommodates the bedrooms and a more intimate living room with a playing area for the children. The courtyard brings light into this space through a large glazed wall and connects it to the more social spaces of the family located on the ground floor. A second patio, painted in strong yellow, reveals itself through a slit in the wall which connects both patios.

courtesy CVDB arquitectos | photo by FG + SG

The smaller rooms of the house such as the kitchen and bathrooms are characterized by particular space and light conditions. These rooms display textures and warm colours, contrasting with the social rooms of the house.

+ Project facts

Jarego House
Cartaxo, Portugal
Private commission 2005, completed 2008

Total Built area: 350 sq m (3 767 sq ft)
Construction cost: 270 000,00 Euros ($ 372 508,00 USD)
Design team: CVDB arquitectos
Diogo Burnay, Cristina Verissimo, António Cotrim, Sofia Brogueira, Tiago Santos, Mireia Cases Sampere
Structure, foundations and services:
Aedificandi, Estudos & Projectos, Lda
General Contractor:
Contentor de Ideias. Lda
Photography:
FG + SG | Fernando Guerra e Sérgio Guerra

+ All images and drawings courtesy CVDB arquitectos