House in Paço de Arcos by Jorge Mealha
Jorge Mealha designed this house in Paço de Arcos, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Description from the architect:
Located at Alto do Lagoal in Paço de Arcos, a neighborhood of Lisbon facing the
sea, this house has been built on a sloping site and proposes as main strategy an
arrangement of several solids in order to attenuate the overall mass due to the
functional program requested by the client.This arrangement of different solids and voids, uses large plain surfaces and
some in-between tensioned spaces to let light draw or reflect on the objects,
emphasizing geometry and proposing a changeable reading of form and space
during the day.Some surfaces, covered by metal screening/shading devices, create large smooth
textured plans on two facades of the house hiding windows and enhancing form,
acting also as a kind of diaphragm device to filter the views between interior and
exterior. Also act as a passive sunshade control between internal and external
spaces.Some circulations, as the staircase and main corridor are built in white painted
10mm metal sheet slightly detached from the walls, leaving opportunity for light,
caught by the long skylight to pass in between and spread to the lower floors.The external envelope, a “in situ” concrete structure, integrates a double row
masonry of perforated ceramic blocs as external walls, including inner rigid
thermal insulation panels. External walls finishes are in cement plaster painted.
Windows are in standard natural aluminum color profiles integrating double
thermal glass.In the interior, the walls main finish is plaster painted in white except in the
bathrooms where the walls are covered in white/grey natural striped marble.
The circulation areas floors, corridors and staircases are in plain or folded 10mm
thickness metal plates, painted with white mate epoxy enamel.The bedrooms floors are finished in industrial wood parquet whit colorless wax
varnish finish. Social areas are covered with polished white stone and kitchen in
brilliant black ceramic sandstone.
Visit Jorge Mealha’s website – here.
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Rube on 02 Oct 2011 at 1:35 am #
I really enjoy the massing here!
Jose on 02 Oct 2011 at 6:50 pm #
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the colour white, but they abuse of it here. It’s like everywhere you look, the only thing you see is something white above something white. TOO MUCH white. I like the design, but I would’ve mixed a bit more colours into it.
Rambler on 03 Oct 2011 at 12:27 am #
Jose, this house wasn’t designed for you.
They didn’t do all the white by accident, it’s what they wanted.
Adam A Pfeifer on 03 Oct 2011 at 7:25 am #
I enjoy the house; but good luck keeping it clean with white everything…
Great on 03 Oct 2011 at 10:18 am #
Way too many white walls I feel like the views are wasted. And I wonder if it reflects the owners’ obsessive need to be reclusive! Can get any more private than this. Then the staircase — it looks like it belonged to a high-security or biotech facility.
On the other hand, I love the play on volumes. I just wished there were more windows. And that pool area is a killer. 8 out of 10.
Graham Roebeck on 04 Oct 2011 at 6:03 am #
White accepts the patina of age in the twink of an eye.
Jose on 05 Oct 2011 at 8:24 pm #
It definitely wasn’t all that made for me, Rambler… I do, as I said, love white, I just think it’s a bit overwhelming here. I’m not judging, to be clear. I simply believe that the house would be far more enjoyable if it wasn’t drowning in white paint. My humble opinion.
Trina on 06 Oct 2011 at 10:26 am #
I love the white!! Just a little touch of color with the furniture, and it is ready for me!
jithu on 09 Oct 2011 at 10:08 am #
well.. i just had to say, the finishing is really good, the color being white. this kind of work is impossible in some parts of the world.
Lina Alardah on 09 Oct 2011 at 2:01 pm #
I liked the massing and voiding also the white color of the exterior..
I am really impressed with the building design, although the staircase make me feel unsafe and making it all white is just tired eyes..
but every thing being white gives a good feeling especially in the space where the shade is applied in a way that makes patterns in the white spaces..