TRAMA arquitetos aligns 'cork trees house' with the landscape of northern portugal

TRAMA arquitetos has used concrete, stone, wood, and weathering steel to build this single storey family home in northern portugal. located in braga, the residence is titled ‘cork trees house’ — a name that references the trees that populate the region. photographed here by joão morgado, the dwelling was designed to benefit from maximum sunlight throughout the day, and to take in the sweeping views across the mountains and valleys that surround the site.

all images by joão morgado

TRAMA arquitetos was approached by a young family with a keen interest in architecture to design a harmonious home. ‘the intention was to surprise, to integrate the exterior surroundings with the interior environment, to merge spaces and create sensations, without discouraging functionality,’ explains the design team. the dwelling is set into a steep slope on a plot that is surrounded by centuries-old cork trees.

‘we started from the idea that the floor of the house should be in line with the canopy of cork trees, as if it were a garden that floats on the horizon,’ TRAMA arquitetos continues. ‘therefore, we designed a functional single-floor plan, occupying almost the entire width of the plot. as for materiality, we associated raw and natural materials that would merge with the surroundings.’

externally, the exposed concrete complements the natural shale and the weathering steel that will age naturally over time. ‘inside, walnut wood provides comfort and a chromatic relationship with the roman travertine marble on the floor and the apparent concrete of the ceiling. as a result, we achieved a project that is harmonious with the surrounding environment and is intended to be timeless,’ the architects conclude.

see more architecture projects in portugal on designboom here, including kengo kuma’s plan to transform lisbon’s gulbenkian museum campus.

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project info:

name: cork trees house
location: braga, portugal
studio: TRAMA arquitetos
architect: bruno leitão and marco bernardino
project team: adriano peixoto, ricardo silva, eduarda rocha, helena vilar, catarina silva and ivo silva
year and construction: 2018 / 2020
photography: joão morgado