Mascotelos House \ ER Studio – Eric Rodrigues Arquitecto

Mascotelos House, drawing courtesy ER Studio - Eric Rodrigues Arquitecto

The project of a dwelling house in Mascotelos sees on its terrain a conceptual opportunity as well as a circumstance to which it cannot escape: a narrow lot with a slope of three meters between the two fronts, in a relatively rural environment. The accessibility is solved in fronts, an automotive access to the ground floor and a pedestrian access to the highest stage of the northern front.

Mascotelos House, drawing courtesy ER Studio - Eric Rodrigues Arquitecto

To minimize the visual impact of the house to the landscape, while protecting itself from any visual noise from the surrounding lots, we develop an idea of the courtyard house. Where a staircase would be the route and part itself of a courtyard / garden sided to the house, establishing this one a close relationship between interior and exterior to it.

Mascotelos House - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy ER Studio - Eric Rodrigues Arquitecto

Mascotelos House - First floor plan, drawing courtesy ER Studio - Eric Rodrigues Arquitecto

Thus is born a masas that seems to hover over a translucent plan, attached laterally this courtyard assumes himself as the center of the house. The entire ground floor is used for the public part of the house, here a succession of transparent spaces, culminating in the living room that can be open to and thus become part of the courtyard. Reinforcing the idea of a courtyard that makes the illumination and connection between spaces is materialized in a small courtyard between the hall, office and kitchen, subtly privatizing the first spaces from the rest of the house.

The top floor is intended for private domestic dwellings and their health services. In order to maximize the usable space of the house, storage spaces are implemented into the walls both floors, creating a wall of cabinets, so necessary to any housing unit.

+ Project facts

Mascotelos House
Date: 2012
Status: On going
Architect: ER Studio – Eric Rodrigues Arquitecto
Project leader: Eric Rodrigues
Project team: José Malhó; Nuno Capêlo de Sousa
Location: Mascotelos, Guimarães; Portugal
Land Area: 790 m2
Construction Area: 455 m2
Website: http://www.er-studio.net

+ All images and drawings courtesy ER Studio – Eric Rodrigues Arquitecto