House in Meco by Jorge Mealha Arquitecto

20 December 2010

This house by Portuguese studio Jorge Mealha Arquitecto features white rendered volumes sat atop a stone structure, located by a beach on the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal.

Called House in Meco, the split level entrance space is bathed in natural light.

A series of thin metal self-supporting staircases are the main features inside the house, with only two rods on either side for handrails.

The central staircase leads up to a glazed landing with rippled glass windows.

Photographs are by Jorge Mealha.

More residential architecture on Dezeen »

Here's some more information from the architects:

House in Meco Located on an woody site at Meco beach, nearby Sesimbra in the outskirts of Lisbon, this house aims to a close relation with surrounding space, a beautiful natural landscape.

A set of restrictive regulations, defined in the city council masterplan project, namely distances to borders, access, total amount of construction area and volume were a condition to be addressed and surpassed.

The resultant form proposes an almost accidental arrangement of different and overlapped solids, dealing with mass and voids.

Windows are opened in a free way trying to catch the most interesting spots in the surrounding landscape or the attached external spaces and volumes.

Using different materials, the house proposes an arrangement of solids, gives opportunity to light emphasizing forms and suggest a concern in controling the relationships between external and internal areas.

Some circulations, as the staircases and bridge between upper rooms, are in white painted metal and glass, drawn as light as possible.

Architect: Jorge Mealha
Location: Carcavelos, Lisbon, Portugal

Project Team: Arch. João Sítima, Arch. Luís Banazol, Arch. Pedro Pereira, Arch. Rita Melância, Arch. Teófilo Raposo, Arch. Ricardo Manaia. Client: Paula Ribeiro