Casa Adpropeixe Modern House Design by Carlos Castanheira & Clara Bastai Architects

Located on Gerês Natural Reserve, Portugal, duo architects Carlos Castanheira & Clara Bastai has completed a timber house design project for Tiago Sousa Lopez. The name of the house Adpropeixe, was derived from the site name located in Vilar de Veiga, in the Terras do Bouro district. What makes unique of the site is that it’s easier to access by boat than by road or cross-country.

Their client Sousa Lopez was in loved with Gerês, the reservoir and the water,thus looking for a site to build the house. As a matter of luck, he found an area where where a tennis court had been built prior to the establishment of the Natural Reserve. This construction was legally and properly authorized at the time.

The pre-existence of this tennis court, which covered an area of 800m2, now allowed under the current regulations for the building of a house of up to 200m2 on the site. To get there, one has to climb the hill, along a sinuous tarmacadamed road, always rising until, when nearly at the top one starts to go down and down a narrow dirt track alongside perilous drops and stunning views.

Concrete footings, (the only concrete used in the building). Steel connectors. Structural frame, internal floors and ceilings in red deal, external flooring and ceilings in Cumaru Brazillian Teak. External finishes, walls and roof in copper. Glass in timber frames. Posts with fixings in copper and a wire mesh of polypropylene nylon form the fencing.

The house in Adpropeixe is an habitable viewing platform, elevated off the ground, but integrated and installed in the site.

The land, the area, the Reserve, have all been improved since the building of the house commenced, not only because of the house, but also because of the occupancy that it brought about, does now and will continue to bring about.

Via. Photography by FG+SG, Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra