This home on a golf course complex in Belas on the outskirts of Lisbon consists of five smaller houses connected by interior passages.(+ slideshow)

Designed by CHP Arquitectos, the residence is located on one of many plots of land dotted around the course.

Each plot on the site was sold individually so every villa is designed by a different architect, resulting in a variety of styles and designs.

Alfonso Fernandes of CHP Arquitectos explained the inspiration for the project: "Our design is based on the main aspects of traditional Portuguese architecture, with special attention to the balance and harmony between each building."

Fernandes told Dezeen the firm used the Portuguese villages of São Gregorio and Monsaraz as inspiration: villages with clusters of white houses, tucked closely against one another.

CHP Arquitectos wanted to design a building with various small volumes connected by passageways that generate courtyards, making it possible to edit and carefully frame views both internally and externally.

Alfonso explained, "We could hide ourselves from the surroundings that we didn't want to see, and turn towards the surroundings we found more interesting."

The family home is centered around a social core with all other functions distributed around it within the different volumes.

The social core hosts a large living room and access to the garage by a central staircase, which is protected by sucupira wooden panelling that also incorporates a sofa.

"The sofa divides the living room in two distinct areas, an everyday TV room with direct relation to the fireplace, and a social area to the far side of the sofa, 50 centimetres below," Alfonso explains.

The living room spills out onto two large courtyards and a pool

Next to the family bathroom is a children's playroom, leaving the other two blocks on the west wing of the house for bedrooms, with the master bedroom and dressing room spreading over 20 square metres of the house.

One of the requirements of the client was for the house to have a lot of wardrobe storage space. This is built into the walls and disguised with white panels.

The long passageways between blocks provide opportunity to frame particular views.

Where blocks overlap, to avoid looking out onto white walls, shrubs have been planted to create small pockets of greenery.

Other houses in Lisbon that we have featured on Dezeen include a house that costs the same amount to manufacture as a family car, and a narrow townhouse with green walls.

Photography is by Francisco Nogueira.

Here is a description from the architects:

House in Belas, Lisbon

Architecture: Construir Habitar Pensar Arquitectos with Carolina Queimado

The design intends to express a contemporary look onto the main aspects of traditional Portuguese architecture, with special attention to the balance and harmony between each building.

The house consists of five different bodies, linked through passages. Spaces between each body create a series of relationships, distances and views are generated, providing a rich and diverse atmosphere.

The social areas are located in the core of it all, benefitting from the surrounding environment, and allowing a simple and functional distribution throughout the house.

Above: roof plan - click above for larger image

Above: ground floor plan - click above for larger image

Above: section - click above for larger image

Above: section - click above for larger image