House in Vales

House in Vales – The house is situated in a protected area, very near to one of the most important high way circulation nods in the Algarve, an area dedicated to rural exploration.

Despite the large extension of the plot, the possible construction was legally strict to the reference limits of an existing isolated ruins considerably far from the access road, and it only was permitted to partially extend it.

The option was to develop an upper level, which contained the private areas of the house, in order to fulfil the programme desired by the client. An object composed by suspended orthogonal boxes, painted in white concrete, was placed on top of the ruins, with a complex steel structure of very light impact, that would connect the new volumes directly to the terrain without touching the existing walls. For structural reasons the remains of the old house were demolished, resulting in a ground floor completely glazed, looking like if gravity have been ignored. It is now a non organic object, floating over the landscape, looking in every direction, like a watch tower that controls the surrounding area.