Red House

Located in a small village in Azeitao, south of Lisbon, The project by extrastudio consists of the conversion of a former winery, built by the client’s grandparents at the beginning of the 20th century. Set back from the main road and surrounded by neighbours, accessible along a narrow alley, the plot has a small orchard of orange trees, an oasis in the middle of the village.

  Only two incisions were made into the existing volume. A 14-meter long window was cut into the west facade facing the orchard, turning the interior and exterior into a single space. A courtyard was inserted into the corner abutting the adjacent properties, allowing light to enter the darkest areas of the house. The public areas of the house are arranged on the ground floor, occupying the entire footprint. The private areas unfold on the upper level, flanking the facades, generating a sequence of strategically placed voids, which create double and triple height spaces on the ground floor below. The generous scale recalls the building’s former use.

All existing materials were preserved and upcycled during construction; the old roof tiles were reused, stone was transformed into sills, the timber roof structure became an exterior deck. A natural red pigment was added to the external mortar, to reinforce the building’s presence, allowing the house to age gradually and changing its tonality, without ever requiring a coat of paint. Over the days and months, the colour of the house alters, lighter or darker depending on the humidity, almost black when it rains.

Red House, Vendas de Azeitão, Portugal
Program: single family house
Architect: extrastudio
Design team: João Caldeira Ferrão, João Costa Ribeiro, Madalena Atouguia, Daniela Freire, Maria João Oliveira, Sónia Oliveira, Tiago Pinhal, Rita Rodrigues
Landscape: Oficina dos Jardins – Sónia Caldeira, Ines Bordado
Consultants: PRPC Engenheiros lda, Mário Andrade, Gonçalo de Meirelles
Contractor: Sequeira e Serra lda
Area: 360 sqm
Completion: 2017