This house is a single-family dwelling located in Leiria, designedby Contaminar Arquitectos. With a large area, it develops itselfin a single storey, although its impact is reduced. In the mainaccess, on the East façade, we don’t perceive the existence ofthe House: an alternated game of ramps directs to the discreteentrance or to the green-roof, which make the House merge withthe landscape. On these ramps, the floor and walls are coveredwith gravel and stone, making this part of the house more opaqueand closed, retracted towards the main access route and theneighbourhood houses.
On the opposite façade, in the West, the geometry is moreclear and the drawing more evident. A sequence of voids andplain volumetries allows the inner organization of the privateclosed spaces (toilets, closet and wardrobes) conjugated withthe openness of the rooms, slightly retracted, to the outsidearea. A central volume stands out in the façade as an axis thatdivides the living area from the more private area of the house.
It contains a pool and its interior surface, inconcrete, maintains a close relationship withthe landscape: the shapes and the light comingfrom outside are reflected in the water of thisrectangle, as in a mirror.
With a very strong image, a cork skin coversthe entire North, South and West exteriorsurfaces of the house, as if the volume were“contaminated” by the natural surroundings.Beyond the effective thermal insulation providedfor the concrete structure, the sensorialproperties of this unique material make thisarchitectural object pleasant to the touch, bythe softness of its texture – the House becomespart of nature. Its earth tone contrasts with thegreen of the grass and harmonizes with thesurrounding trees.
