GA House
The brief was to renovate a small house and extend the built area in order to accommodate the family needs and resolve some spatial discrepancies, both of the building and its exterior.
It was proposed to extend the house to the east, maintaining its vernacular language, clarifying and requalifying both its interior spatiality as the exterior spaces: to mend the space on the east, degraded and without significant use, such as the lower entry floor, poorly built, and significantly increase the façade and thus creating a frank relationship with the garden, one of the clients’ wishes.
In this way, the program required is accomplished: the entrance, a garage and laundry area in the lower floor, as well as a courtyard which brings light and air to a space otherwise closed; in the upper floor, the private area with two bedrooms and an open social area composed by the living room, dining room and kitchen. The extension of the house to the east allows that the living and dining room are part of the same space but independent at a time, both related with the exterior.
Without increasing significantly the built area in order to optimize the budget, it is proposed to reuse the attic (a storage space before) opening it to the social areas through a double height which also distinguish these spaces giving them a new spatial quality and allowing to increase the natural lighting of the inner spaces, and as well providing the house with a more informal and relaxed program on this upper level.
The proposal allows that the house is able to receive direct sunlight from the south and cross ventilation. Open spaces with clear relations between them enhance the domestic living, providing generous and well lighted spaces.
Program:
House Renovation and Extension
Location:
Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Date:
2017–2019
Architecture:
Paulo Vale Afonso
Team:
Daniel Brandão (project budget)
Client:
Private
Built / Site Area:
232 m² / 578 m²
Status:
Built
Photography:
Ras·a