House in Cacia | Alberto Montoya

BAU.UAU ARQUITECTURA. Aveiro. Portugal

Architects: Cristina Emilia Silva y Alberto Montoya

Engineering: António Teixeira da Silva, Chief Engineer, GAPRO.

Photographer: João Margalha.

Contractor: Albino Amaral Construções Lda.

The plot has nearly a flat topography. Its shape becomes the principal condition for the implantation of the house, as it has an elongated proportion, with the smaller front facing the main street, to the west.
The project option is to locate the construction near the western edge of the land, in line with the neighboring houses, with the program developed to the east.
The access for vehicles and pedestrians is on the west side. This entry allows direct access to the garage and the main door of the house, placed in the center of the volume.
Almost all program is on the ground floor: three bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining, and living room functioning the last three spaces as one, so the daily routines can be shared and in direct contact with the remaining land. Only one room is on the first floor, on the west façade, to be illuminated by the best light for studying and providing some isolation from the rest of the house.
The materiality of the construction is built upon the contrast between brick, wood, concrete, plaster, and flower boxes, too.
The shape of the building arises from the action of locating each part provided for in the program. Thus, the resulting volume is the consequence of the interior, creating recesses and protrusions depending on what was necessary to the divisions. These shapes establish dialogues with the boundaries of the land, creating diversified outdoor spaces with different possible uses, necessaries in the daily use of the house, depending on its location and orientation.
The shape of the building arises from the action of locating each part provided for in the program. Thus, the resulting volume is the consequence of the interior, creating recesses and protrusions depending on what was necessary to the divisions. These shapes establish dialogues with the boundaries of the land, creating diversified outdoor spaces with different possible uses, necessaries in the daily use of the house, depending on its location and orientation.