TORRE VÃ, PORTUGAL

Under Construction | Family Residence

Portugal | 2025

BRIEF

Near the historic village of Ourique in southern Portugal, a late 19th-century terraced house has been transformed into a 5-bedroom, one-and-a-half-storey family home. It is part of a historic estate comprising a grand manor house—now a 5-star hotel—former farm buildings, and a cluster of repurposed workers’ houses. The front façade, modest yet historically expressive, is preserved, while the rear opens to light and space. Raising the façades by 1.5 meters allows a loft without disrupting the estate’s architectural language. 

At the heart of the design is a small 4m² semi-internal courtyard, inspired by the Japanese Tsubo-Niwa. Carved from the living room, it channels daylight, facilitates passive ventilation, and anchors the rear façade with visual weight and intimacy. 

Internally, minimalist geometries unfold as flowing, mirrored volumes that reflect each other, enhancing the sense of continuity and spatial layering. Externally, the understated simplicity of the rear courtyard, enriched with plants, concrete surfaces, and a small water feature, creates a calming biophilic environment. 

Through subtle interventions—heightened façades, spatial reorganisation, and the courtyard—the project balances heritage and modernity, creating a light-filled, carefully composed home where architecture enhances daily life.

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