Tree House + Square House
Tree House + Square House, located in the Brejos da Carregueira de Cima allotment in Comporta, consists of a residential building with two dwellings. It is accessed through the square, next to the national road. This is a new project that seeks to fill the square with a simple, contemporary building whose design allows people to enjoy the garden inside the private lot, the semi-private access patio and the square as a public space.
The project is designated by a two-storey rectangular volume. It is placed so that the façades coincide as much as possible over the limits of the site polygon. The three façades are characterized by large planes of white plastered masonry, large window openings, some “balconies” and two roof terraces. Around the building is a well-kept outdoor space with deck areas, a garden and two small swimming pools.
The entrance is on the southeast side. The volume of the building, with a rectangular plan, has an uncovered outdoor area, which marks the entry point to the interiors of the two dwellings. From this transition space one enters the hall that distributes the two large areas that define the project: the social area, more open and with a direct connection to the outside (ground floor); and the private area, more contained and with a more occasional and controlled relationship with the surroundings (1st floor).
On the ground floor, the open living room and kitchen are presented as a social space. These relate directly to the outside area at the back of the lot, through a large opening, facing east, making the most of the relationship with the patio and surrounding garden. In this area, the concrete slab of the roof extends beyond the volume, creating a shaded outdoor living area that provides the necessary conditions for a complete experience of the space. On this floor there is also a bedroom and a bathroom.
On the 1st floor, there is a primary bedroom with a fully equipped bathroom and two bedrooms with a shared bathroom. From this floor we reach the external stairs leading to the flat roof.
In each outdoor space there is a deck area associated with the small swimming pool in the westernmost part of the lot. This solution found for the outdoor space, as well as the implantation of the volume, aims to make a minimal change to the existing topography.
Formally, despite having a contemporary language, the entire complex refers to local and traditional materials. This is done through the use of brick lattice on some specific portions of the façade, the use of wood on the railing and deck, and the white exterior walls.
