CASA DE SOUVINHA
Beyond the river, the land spreads over the fields and valleys to the east, gazing at Senhora da Graça on the horizon. Oaks and cork oaks took over the plot, pushing the house further down the slopes, where it was surrounded and protected by the topography.
As we get closer to the watercourse, the path between plots starts to fade. Through the trees, the arrival is announced by thick walls of rammed earth, embedded in the landscape and dissolved in the vegetation.
A long granite imprint crosses the accentuated topography, guiding the path to the entrance sheltered to the west. The construction is shaped by the slope as it follows the natural morphology, thus defining, from the outside in, a gradient of privacy across different levels.
Further south, the kitchen and the large dining table cherish other views, looking over an open plateau as they follow the sun’s path throughout the day. In the centre, the fire creates an intimate atmosphere in the living room, framing the landscape as a painting and suggesting a place for calmness and contemplation.
At its tail, a slight rise anticipates the bedroom area, whose twist seeks to reach the sunrise and the surrounding landscape. The atmosphere of the house is defined by the presence of wood and floor tiles; its integration and scale make it a space of refuge and sharing in the midst of nature, in a play of shadows, scenarios and hedges that deeply links it forever to that place.
