This cluster of seven villas was part of a wine resort, in the south of Portugal. The site, a formal rural estate, had been flooded due to the construction of a nearby dam. The villas overlooked a lake, cooling off the scorched plains around. They were devised like a small pueblo, or an oasis, with vineyards and native trees. Their plan consisted of a series of squares that shaped houses, patios, and gardens. This pixelated composition produced an overall effect similar to a folkloric patchwork. Each house featured a grand, double-height, living room at the center connecting to bedrooms and kitchen on the corners. The patios and gardens between them gave a lofty feeling, in the spirit of the residential architecture of Rudolf Schindler and Richard Neutra in California.
Date: 2009 | Location: Mourão, Portugal | Client: L’and Reserve SA | Architecture: Patrícia Barbas, Diogo Lopes