The relationship proposed by João Mendes Ribeiro between the building and the land on which it rises is solved through a series of platforms which follow a dual purpose. On the one hand, the house rises above the ground thanks to a half-buried plinth and on the other, the platforms create serial access to the house, passing through a set of different situations while getting inside.
The inner space of the dwelling is divided into two floors: the ground floor houses the more public areas of the house and the first floor contains the bedrooms. Space both horizontally and vertically is organized through a longitudinal staircase. The light-coloured abstract interior atmosphere absorbs the exterior entity by turning towards the views of outer space, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the size of the holes in each facade.
Description of the project by João Mendes Ribeiro
The Fonte Boa House is a single family house designed in a rural estate in Fartosa, Fonte Boa, in the centre of Portugal. The small estate, with a vineyard and olive grove, is located in the Rabaçal valley, confined by the Jerumelo, Sicó and Espinhal mountains. This expressive valley's landscape, which was once occupied by a roman villa (around IV BC), is now mainly characterized by small plants and big olive trees.
The house is located in the west side of the estate, protected from the main road, taking advantage of the best sun exposure, the surrounding trees and the views over the valley. The accurate position of the house was set so that there wouldn't be major changes in the terrain, maintaining the existing slope and preserving all the existing trees.
Reinterpreting the traditional single-family housing typology, the house is a two storey rectangular volume with zinc pitched roof, whose volume detaches itself from the slope with a concrete basement (occupied by a small wine cellar). From the street, the entrance is made through an opening in the stonewall that limits the south part of the site. The open garage, built below the terrain level, is enclosed by concrete walls, the semi-underground concrete box that hosts the laundry room, and the stairs that lead to the upper level where the house is located.
A succession of platforms leads to the entrance of the house, which is protected by a windbreak door. Inside, both floors are organized in three parts, with core stairs and a utility area that, on the ground floor, divides the dining from the living room and, on the first floor, separates the two main bedrooms. The communication between the two floors is made by a cabinet/staircase that reinforces the longitudinal direction of the house. All the interior spaces have a particular relationship with the outside, through a set of big openings or small windows that intensify, in very different ways, the connection that the house establishes with the landscape.
