Monolithic massing

I’m not normally one for the paired back, you may have gathered by the interiors I post about week after week. There is on occasion however a building which sparks my love of pure form and massing. This 600 square metre house in Portugal is surrounded by a golf course and uses a series of planar forms to delineate space – the public vs private and boundary.

The villa has been developed in a U shape around a central courtyard space helping to create a sense of scale and containment within the open surroundings. Within this cocooned courtyard is the impressive cantilevered pool with wet edge. Its form gesturing towards speed and weightlessness even for such an impressive engineered structure. Water forms an integral part of this building’s concept, cascading from one form to another and flowing inside and out in a continuous play of solid versus transparent. These permeable spaces and boundaries would be a pleasure to inhabit.

Story by Nic-Kaiko Follow him on Instagram kaiko_design 

U shape Villa by Arqui Architects  Photos: Fernando Guerra