Architect: João Marques Franco + Andreia Figueiras
Area: 120m2
Photography: Primeiro Plano Audiovisual
Year: 2020

Design Team: Marques Franco Arquitectos
Engineering Studies: Carlos Silva
General Building Company: Vodul
Client: João Marques Franco

This is a close look at the living room area with a large gray sectional sofa that stands outa gainst the bright features of the area.

This is a close look at the side of the sofa with a reading nook and small library that has a small bookshelf on the far side.

Across from the gray sofa is the built-in entertainment cabinet lining the wall with modern lighting topped iwth a wooden beamed ceiling.

The entertainment cabinet extends to the counter of the kitchen with a sink on the far end on the side of the dining area.

This is a close look at the dining area with a rectangular dining table and a set of modern built-in cabinets on the other side.

At the level below is a home office area on the side of the staircase witha couple of white modern desks.

The bedroom has a white bed paired with a white modern cabinet and a tall cathedral ceiling with exposed beams.

This is a closer look at the platform bed on the far corner with a small window on the far corner to bring in natural lighting.

The bright white bathroom has a white sink across from the white shower area and bathtub with the toilet on the far side.

This is a close look at the terrace balcony with a wooden deck flooring.

This is a view of the wooden deck terrace that has an outdoor dining area and a view of the bright white house exterior.

This nighttime view of the house from the terrace showcases the warm glow of the glass windows and doors.

On the far side of the terrace deck is a set of various potted plants that bring color to the area.

This is an illustration of the various house elevations.

This is an illustration of the house's cross section elevation and sections.

This is an illustration of the house's various elevations, cross sections and sections.

When an architect designs his/hers own house, there is always a different set of challenges. You are confronted with the absence of a bundle of limitations that are usually helpful in shaping the project. With that important element missing, we tried to find a balance between the creativity that comes with being the client, and designing a home/ office that itself tries to cater to the needs of a growing family and a place to work in the midst of a pandemic.

To achieve those goals, given the limited size of the lot and the restrictions that come with it being located in a historic city center of Viana do Castelo, a city located in the northwestern part of Portugal, all of the spaces are organized in an open plan layout.

The project tried to fuse the historic location and a contemporary approach, with that in mind the front was kept and the wood windows were substituted for ones with the same material, inside the structure is based on wood beam but with a small layer of concrete to provide a modern finish and dept to the radiating floor.

With everything else in white, we tried to create a minimal yet highly functional space that reflects the light from the two façades. By removing all walls and having white as the default choice for a material on the main floor we are able to have light from sunset to sundown.