Modern Concrete House in Castro Daire

Blurring the boundaries between indoors and out, this concrete house in Castro Daire is deeply attuned to its setting, staging a quiet choreography of space and light.

WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Ivo Tavares

Designed by Portuguese architecture studio Artequitectos, this family home is a meditation on place rather than a response to a brief, forming a dialogue between topography, material, and the act of living.

The clients, with a cultivated eye for architecture as cultural practice, envisioned a home that would be both contemporary and full of understated character – a space where pared-back gestures and honest materials engage directly with the landscape.

The retaining wall was the design’s point of departure. Defining the edge of the plot, it sets the building’s elevation, establishing a raised platform on which the house discreetly rests. In rhythm with its urban context, the single-level house unfolds inward, embracing a secluded garden while preserving the illusion of a two-storey volume.

A lower level, partly embedded into the terrain, contains the garage and an architectural stair that leads to the main living spaces. Social and private zones are clearly defined yet remain fluid, continually engaging with the outdoors. The living areas extend into the garden, dissolving the line between interior and constructed landscape.

At the core of the house lies an inner garden and pool, framed by the northern retaining wall. This contemplative heart is private, silent, intensely spatial.

Materiality ultimately defines the character of the house: exposed concrete defines structure and scale; thermally modified wood lends texture and warmth; while travertine punctuates spaces, adding a hint of elegance.

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