Project: Horta House
Architects: MATÉRIAS arquitetura + interiors
Location: Tregosa, Portugal
Area: 3,476 sf
Year: 2022
Photographs by: Wood Target
Horta House by MATÉRIAS arquitetura + interiors
The Horta House, designed by MATÉRIAS arquitetura + interiors in Tregosa, Portugal, draws inspiration from the traditional Minho containment plots of land for cultivation and their supporting annexes. With a focus on sustainability, the house incorporates renewable energies and bioclimatic systems while prioritizing functionality in its spatial distribution. The building is strategically positioned to take advantage of the natural slope and orientation of the plot, resulting in different volumes with balanced proportions and controlled solar exposure.
The conceptual idea for the house has as its cornerstone a simple design inspired by the Minho containment plots of land for cultivation, as well as its annexes to support agriculture. A (very important) sustainable concern is also associated to the project: the distribution of the spaces was made according to functionality criteria and the insertion of renewable energies and bioclimatic systems.
The house is implanted in such a way as to take advantage of the topography of the plot, taking advantage of its natural slope and its orientation (northwest/southeast). The result is a building in different volumes, all with the same altimetry, which provides a very balanced and harmonious reading of the whole, and a more controlled and studied solar exposure according to the hours of use of the dwelling. The spaces between the volumes also allow the creation of private or communal patios. On this naturally sloping terrain, the house appears to be built transversally and below ground level, which allows for a simpler and more fluid relationship with the surroundings, while respecting the landscape.
In this way, once we reach the ground level, there are two paths: a pedestrian and a road. The pedestrian one leads, through a ramp, to the house’s main entrance. Once inside, the hall initiates the entire spatial distribution, allowing access to the garage, exterior access with total visibility to the plot to the northwest, and access to the social area.
The dwelling has a frank and varied relationship with the garden, which seems to be a natural part of the landscape, having a very organic and subtle presence on the whole. The patio of the suite is the most intimate outdoor space, tucked between the two volumes of the house, which enhances the shelter and comfort of the area. The house distribution is intended to be very intuitive and simple, allowing the spaces never to lose their own identity, mixing in the social areas and separating in the private ones. A central corridor serves as the backbone of the entire program.
The interior follows an open space logic with the living room, dining room, and kitchen sharing the same space. This space organization promotes a family dynamic made of proximities and is perfect for those who like to receive friends and socialize without any constraints.
The living room, dining room, and kitchen have a strong relationship with the garden and exterior that makes the visual connection to the hills on the horizon. The cupboard that runs along the floor between the windows cleverly hides a service toilet. The warmth of the wood lends coziness to the atmosphere, interrupting the cooler presence of the white and the honed concrete of the floor. After the social area, the corridor leads to two blocks only connected by it, which are two bedrooms/suites, directly related to the exterior through individual patios. Each bedroom is provided with a sanitary installation and wardrobe. One of them has an interior wardrobe.
