House in Mosteirô by Arquitectos MATOS
05/09/2013.
[Santa María da Feira] Portugal
metalocus, LAURA CANTO
metalocus, LAURA CANTO
Memory of the project by Arquitectos Matos
The site is located on the outskirts of Santa Maria da Feira, surrounded by a diffuse and changing landscape.
The concept of the project comes from the combined interpretation of the functional program of a single-family house with the specific premises of the clients, as from the study of the characteristics of the lot and its surroundings and morphological conditions. The house is organized on a single floor around a central courtyard, facing South and West, protected from the street on the North side.
Shaped as an "L", it is divided into two parts - a longitudinal volume organized the service areas and the leisure zone, while the bedrooms are located in the shorter volume, transversal to the lot. An additional volume, a storage room placed in the limit of the terrain, accurately defines the central courtyard. Access to the house is made from the east side, by a ramp that serves as a transition between the level of the street and the main and service entrances.
At the intersection of the two volumes of the L, a void announces the main entrance, that inward, through its transparency, reveals the central courtyard and leads to the different areas of the house.
The interior spaces are directly associated with the patio, though protected by the porch, which externally unifies the different areas of the house and intensifies the daily experiences of the family.
The living room is an ample space, where the dining and living areas are commonly organized, spatially extending to the outdoors through natural light.
The volume, simple and compact, is coated by an opaque ventilated façade made of prefabricated black textured concrete panels on its public surfaces, whilst its interior walls, facing the private patio, are fully open through their transparency. The background scenery of the courtyard and garden is framed by the "memory wall", built out of stones from the demolition of pre-existence.
Arquitectos Matos is an architectural office founded by Ricardo Matos (Aveiro,1970; FAULP 1995) and Nuno Matos (Aveiro, 1977; FAULP 2001). Their practice has evolved through works of different programs and scales, based on systematic research of concept, form, and material specific for each project, continually exploring different links between landscape, function, social, cultural, and economic context and establishing multidisciplinary and flexible links with other professional and creative areas.
Among several works of single-family dwellings, their renovation and extension of “Quinta dos Floreados”, was awarded the Prize for Municipal Heritage Renovation of Montemor-o-Velho, featured in various international publications, and selected for an exhibition of Portuguese architecture.
Having taken part in numerous competitions, at present, among the ongoing projects and in addition to the prevalence of work in single-family housing, stand out the master plan for “Quinta do Marinheiro” in Avanca-Estarreja that includes the renovation of “Egas Moniz” House Museum, the “Folgosinha” Adventure Park in Castro Daire and the Centre for Studies “D. Domingos Pinho Brandão” in the Monastery of Arouca.