concrete volumes enclose private patio within 'sobreira pires' house by daniel pires in portugal

architect daniel pires has realized a concrete private residence with a central patio in entroncamento, portugal. the starting point of the residential project was a small two-story house located at the end of a narrow and deep lot, integrated into an uncharacterized urban area with an indefinite scale. 

all images courtesy by filipa bernardo

having this urban context, daniel pires develops the spatial organization of the house, based on the existing volumetry. upon the architect’s intervention, the dwelling is now defined by 3 concrete formations, strategically positioned to complement the original structure. these volumes, which concentrate all the support areas of the house, allocate among themselves, the main living areas of the house. 

in the spaces that are organized around the patio, the transition between private and social spaces occurs in a gradient manner. this ‘filter’ is based on a modular system of sliding wooden frames that connects the concrete volumes, that open and close, controlling the privacy levels in the various parts of the residence. a fourth volume is positioned at the opposite end of the lot, relating directly to the street and configuring a vegetable garden to the interior, which makes for an efficient transition between the entrance/garage/workshop and the permanent living area.

patio

kitchen

living room

wooden frames

aerial view

roof

staircase 

vegetable garden

patio at night

project info:

name: sobreira pires house
architecture office: daniel pires
location: entroncamento, portugal

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom