A glazed corridor connects the four house-shaped buildings that make up this holiday home on the outskirts of Porto, developed by young Portuguese studio PROD .
Aptly named Residence of 4 Houses, the residence comprises a series of similar blocks that have been clustered together on a site located on the side of a valley, giving impressive views over the rooftops of a nearby town.
PROD founders Paulo Carvalho and Susana Correia developed the house for a loved ones of 4, which prompted the inclusion of four volumes. Though they all look the exact same, they vary in dimension and orientation and all accommodate different functions.
Three of the blocks have been arranged at appropriate angles to a single yet another, lining up with the glazed central corridor that connects them. The fourth construction projects out at an angle, following the alignment of a neighbouring residence.
“The proximity in between the two constructions led to a preferred dialogue,” explained Carvalho and Correia. “The modest dimensions of the current constructing established the scale of the residence, whilst the vernacular identity influenced its layout.”
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Pitched roofs give all 4 wings a gabled profile, while the connecting corridor has a flat glass roof that helps it blend into the background.
“The substantial dematerialisation of its limits makes it possible for it to be felt as both inner and external,” explained the architects. “When moving from 1 space to one more it makes it possible for you to comfortably ‘walk by means of the leaves’.”
Patinated pine boards clad the outer walls but also continue inside the building, the place they have been whitewashed. Roofing comprises zinc panels, even though the house’s base was constructed making use of locally sourced granite.
“The international coherence of the property very depended on the material option,” mentioned the architects. “The mixture granted a rich silver homogeneity combining different tones and textures.”
Though the residence only appears to have one storey, there is also a subterranean floor that accommodates auto parking, a wine cellar and a laundry space.
On ground level, the southernmost block accommodates a dining space and a kitchen – the two comparable in dimension. These spaces open out to a decked terrace, as does a living area that occupies an adjacent block.
The residing area is the tallest of the four volumes, which allowed the architects to develop a modest office on a mezzanine level. This is accessed through a staircase of cantilevered wooden treads, each with curved undersides.
This room also involves a contemporary wood-burning stove that hovers about a metre above the floor and tasks by way of the roof to form a basic chimney.
The northernmost block accommodates all of the moist-rooms, while the fourth wing consists of a pair of double bedrooms.
Photography is by João Morgado.
Task credits:
Architects: PROD Architecture and Design and style
Architects in charge: Paulo Carvalho, Susana Correia
Style crew: Paulo Carvalho, Susana Correia, Fernando Paiva and Paulo Borlido
Engineering: SprenPlan
Ground floor prepare 
Initial floor plan 
2nd floor strategy Dezeen
