CASA 103 | Marlene Uldschmidt Architects

A column of natural light as a core element turns a house into a living object.

103 house in Algarve, Portugal, depicts a different perspective.

Squeezed between two traditional neighbourhood fishermen´s houses, the limited front width led the Studio to develop the new project inwardly.

The architects have made the most of formerly adverse disposition: the sloping and irregular topography has been fully exploited in virtue of spatial colonization that allows for the extension of the different enclosed rooms beyond their indoor limits.

Several terraces climbing up the terrain stretch and enhance the visual connection of the different parts of the house and, ultimately, from the upper levels to the horizon.

The rich scenography and varied spatiality created in the project indeed diverge from the apparent constriction of the street front, and the dilated living spaces expanded far beyond the small volume suggested to the public space.

A range of sustainable measures allows the building to function in an energy-efficient way. Locally-sourced materials were specified to complement plain white walls.

Ultramarino, the in-house interior design element of the studio, designed a custom-made kitchen and a range of storage solutions to maintain the understated quality of the concept.