Helder da Rocha Arquitectos presents its newly completed Casa em Pedrantil, sited within the undulating terrain of northern Portugal. The home waits behind a hill on Rua de São João, its silhouette withheld from view at first. When the team first arrived on site, the only clear vantage point was from a small rise near the road. It was from there, just two or three meters of elevation, that the western landscape unfolds. That moment became the foundation for everything that followed.

The initial design was a grand gesture, cutting through the hill to open the site from the street. This plan was eventually tempered by the cost of excavation, retaining walls, and structural reinforcement proved too high. But the instinct remained. And the revised approach held onto that original sense of revelation, finding another way to guide the eye toward the distant view.

images © Ivo Tavares Studio

Casa em Pedrantil: a cluster of scattered volumes

Rather than alter the slope, the Portugal-based design team at Helder da Rocha Arquitectos allow it to shape its Casa em Pedrantil. A series of independent volumes were introduced across the site, placed in response to the land’s existing contours. The structures, finished in a pale cappotto insulation render and anchored with bands of exposed concrete, settle onto the terrain with restraint.

Their arrangement is loose, without formal symmetry, but carefully considered. Each volume steps and shifts in height, bringing variation inside and out. The layout is not intuitive at first, but gradually makes sense as one moves through it, just as the landscape is gradually revealed.

the house is hidden from view at street level behind a natural rise in the terrain

the subdued material palette

The journey through Casa em Pedrantil is designed with a particular cadence. First the hill, then the pathway, and then the slow appearance of built forms. The house holds back from offering too much at once. Even the garden plays a role in shaping this experience, with initial plantings that restrict the panorama. The architecture works like a lens slowly brought into focus.

Eventually, the sequence opens up to a single large window in the living room, oriented west. This is the only aperture with generous dimensions, and it is placed with care. There is no competition, no redundancy. In the soft light of late afternoon, the view appears just as it did from the top of the hill during that first visit.

The material palette is subdued. The smooth, rendered facades do not catch much attention, but the raw concrete at the bases and around the openings offers weight and texture. These elements also anchor the forms visually to the site. The materials are consistent throughout, avoiding embellishment and allowing shadow and proportion to carry the composition.

the western landscape is revealed gradually as visitors move through the site

volumes are placed gently across the slope to avoid heavy earthworks

the exterior is finished in cappotto with exposed concrete accents

the landscaping is designed to delay and control the unfolding panorama

each volume varies in height to create a dynamic spatial experience

a single large window in the living room frames the western view

project info:

name: Casa em Pedrantil

architect: Helder da Rocha Arquitectos | @helderdarocha.arquitectos

location: Penafiel, Portugal

builder: Avelar e Pias
engineering: Massa Cinza Engenheiros
landscape: SL Paisagistas

completion: 2025

photographer: © Ivo Tavares Studio | @ivotavaresstudio

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At Berlin’s Aedes Architecture Forum, the exhibition ‘Five Working Spaces’ invites visitors to glimpse into Ai Weiwei’s studios across continents. On the occasion of the opening on May 23, 2025, designboom spoke exclusively with the artist, uncovering how each workspace embodies his political convictions, personal history, and creative vision. A central focus of the exhibition is Ai Weiwei’s most recent studio in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal, built using traditional Chinese woodworking methods. 

‘My studio is an extension of my body and mental state,’ Ai Weiwei tells designboom. ‘Of course it’s political. Anyone who sees the exhibition can understand — it’s not that I want it to be political. It just is political.’

all images courtesy of Aedes Architecture Forum and Ai Weiwei Studio, unless stated otherwise

ARTIST, ARCHITECT AND ADVOCAT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Rather than illustrating architectural typologies or design processes, ‘Five Working Spaces’ explores Ai Weiwei’s studios as existential conditions, rooted in the artist’s early experiences of political exile. Born in Beijing, Ai Weiwei spent his formative years in remote regions of China, where his father, the poet Ai Qing, had been banished during the Anti-Rightist Movement. Known for his outspoken critique of authoritarian systems and his advocacy for human rights, Ai Weiwei ranks among the most influential figures in contemporary art and activism. His wide-ranging practice — spanning art, architecture, film, and social engagement — merges traditional Chinese craftsmanship with global aesthetics and personal narrative.

Five Working Spaces on view at Aedes Architecture Forum until July 02, 2025 | image © Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk

FIVE WORKING SPACES AT AEDES ARCHITECTURE FORUM IN BERLIN

The exhibition ‘Five Working Spaces’ at Aedes Architecture Forum traces key chapters of the artist’s life through the lens of architecture, presenting five studios located in Beijing, Shanghai, Berlin, and Montemor-o-Novo. Designed, commissioned, and inhabited by Ai Weiwei himself, each workspace mirrors shifting personal and political realities, documented through architectural models, photographs, drawings, and personal texts.

‘What’s similar is that all of them are tied to one individual – me – trying to fit myself into a working condition. But that condition is always changing. It’s more about connecting to my life, to the conditions I was given, the environments I lived in, how I grew up, how I became an architect, how I acted during moments of social and political change,’ he reflects in our conversation.

Ai Weiwei working on still life in his studio, Caochangdi, Beijing, 2000

His first studio in Longzhuashu, Beijing, redefined an austere concrete courtyard with a quiet gesture: planting Danish grass. The transformation was subtle, yet symbolically powerful — an act of reclaiming space through care. In the early 2000s, he designed his compound in the Caochangdi district, also in Beijing, which soon became a hub for artistic collaboration and large-scale installations. Both spaces would later be demolished by authorities, along with others: the Malu Studio near Shanghai in 2011, dismantled shortly after completion, and the Zuoyou Studio in 2018, destroying works still stored inside.

‘I’m used to irrational violence and no explanation. You cannot figure out the logic. You just take it and survive in it,’ the artist recounts, reflecting on these losses. ‘I grew up in that kind of environment. I was born into it. My father was exiled the year I was born. As demonstrated in the exhibition, I lived underground with my father — in a black hole.’

demolition of the Shanghai studio in Malu

In Berlin, Ai Weiwei established a studio in the cellar of a former brewery — an underground, introspective space that resonates with the years he spent in forced exile alongside his father in remote Xinjiang. Tucked away beneath the surface, for the artist, working underground is not only a physical experience, but also an emotional excavation, shaped by reflection and a return to memory.

Speaking to designboom, Ai Weiwei elaborates on this temporal shift: ‘I’m considered a contemporary artist, but my deepest emotions are connected to the past. I’m not familiar with German culture, because I don’t speak the language. I always relate my practice to the past. I appreciate human memory. Without memory, we don’t know who we are or where we come from. Then we can’t appreciate our current condition.’

inside Ai Weiwei’s studio in Berlin, 2018

The most recent of Ai Weiwei’s five working spaces lies in Montemor-o-Novo, a rural town in southern Portugal. The expansive wooden structure draws on traditional Chinese joinery, assembled without nails or screws. Designed with 100 regular columns and a rotated roof that echoes his demolished Malu Studio near Shanghai, the building stands as a monument to craftsmanship and cultural memory. This fifth studio, completed in 2023, resists categorization. Officially registered as a warehouse, it contains no defined program. 

‘Architecture is part of our body — our state of mind and physical condition,’ reviewing the decision to settle in Portugal, Ai Weiwei notes a change in pace and outlook. ‘I want a location that’s peaceful and quiet. A place where you can look at the sky and realize there are stars. In the morning, you can see the sun rays. In the evening, the moon comes up. That fits my psychological condition today.’

timberwork of the Portugal studio in Montemor-o-Novo | image © Yanan Li

Ai Weiwei’s Portugal studio in bird perspective

his fifth studio, completed in 2023

Montemor-o-Novo Studio, nine-part representation model | image © Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk

exhibition view | image © Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk

project info: 

name: Five Working Spaces

artist: Ai Weiwei | @aiww
location: Aedes Architecture Forum, Berlin, Germany | @aedesberlin

dates: May 24 – July 02, 2025

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Martins Architecture Office’s residential project in Guimarães, Portugal, adopts an L-shaped configuration, determined by both spatial logic and functional requirements. The layout responds to site conditions by enclosing two key frontages, the street-facing and north-facing sides, while orienting the primary living areas toward the south and west.

The plan is organized along a diagonal axis formed by the folding of the L-shape. This axis establishes a spatial transition between the private zones, including the bedrooms, and the social areas such as the living room and kitchen. The main entrance and technical spaces are located at this intersection, serving as a pivot within the overall layout. The design of this hinge point introduces a distinct spatial identity, guided by the diagonal that defines the architectural strategy.

all images by NUDO | Hugo Carvalho Araújo

sloping roof extends over residential unit’s L-shaped layout

Martins Architecture Office’s designers intentionally displace a structural column from the central axis to generate a geometric interaction with the ceiling. The roof is pitched at the maximum allowed slope of 35%, resulting in varied interior ceiling heights that contribute to spatial differentiation within the house.

A central chimney, which also functions as a structural element, anchors the patio composition. Its proportions were calculated to support the structure while allowing for an open connection between the living area and the swimming pool, eliminating the need for repetitive column placement along that interface.

the chimney is dimensioned to support the roof without additional columns

two facades are enclosed to screen the street and north, opening the home to sunlit directions

the primary living areas face south and west to optimize natural light and views

the central chimney acts as both fireplace and structural column

roof slopes at a maximum of 35% create varied internal volumes

material selection reinforces the geometric clarity of the design

layout establishes an open connection between the living area and the swimming pool

project info:

name: L shape house
architect: Martins Architecture Office | @martinsarchitectureoffice

design team: Eva Martins, Joana Moreira, José Martins, Miguel Pereira

area: 240 sqm

location: Guimarães, Portugal

photographer: NUDO | Hugo Carvalho Araújo | @hugocarvalhoaraujo

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Sibusiso Bheka captures the city landscape and streets of Lisbon, Portugal, at night as part of his photography series and exhibition, Umphako. For his current artist-in-residence at La Junqueira, the South African photographer showcases his images at the residency in Belém, on view until May 2025.

His photos glimpse at his creative process: wandering around the city at night, armed with his camera and eye to spot the city landscape and subjects to focus on in the dark. After the stroll, he returns and peruses his photos. They’re cinematic and poetic, exhibiting shadow and light caught in a play.

Av. Infante Dom Henrique, Lisbon | all images courtesy of La Junqueira; photos by Sibusiso Bheka

Golden glow recurs in many of the photographer’s images

There’s a part in Sibusiso Bheka’s photography of Lisbon and its city landscape that feels unseen by the visitors. The yellow lights warp like a hazy vision in a dream as a man walks up the flight of steps. So much of this golden glow recurs in the photographer’s images. A quiet street looks alive under the ray of a lamppost, illuminating the beaten-up car parked on the side and the emptiness of the road. A child wearing an Iron Man mask plays on his own, bathed in the light past the golden hour, oblivious to the serene night cast by the purple evening behind him.

It’s quite rare for Sibusiso Bheka to have a human subject in his Lisbon photography of the city landscape and streets. In another, at least, there’s a man walking his dog. Behind him, he seems engulfed in sunset, as if he were crossing the invisible fog coming off of smokeless flames. The photographer says this is his new journey, a path where fiction, reality, and experimentation meet. Some of the warped objects in the photos hint at post-editing, but for the most part, the images are still, documented the moment he saw them. What they all share are the scenes of familiar environments, snapped at a time when no one is around to experience them in their most reflective state.

Vila Amélia Gomes, Lisbon

Umphako refers to the food prepared during travel

Umphako, the name of the exhibition, also refers to food prepared for someone when they go on long-distance travels for some time. In the South African tradition, there’s an expectation that the traveler takes and comes back with Umphako. It’s even a custom to be greeted with the question, ‘where are the provisions?’ But food here isn’t traditional. It’s about the weight of experiences, the stories lived through during the travel, the lessons learned, wrapped as blankets of memories to recall. In Sibusiso Bheka’s case, it’s a photography series that captures Lisbon.

In the city, the photographer experiments with infrared black and white imagery and techniques. He wants to see the light and shadow interact. It’s the reason light comes up at the forefront of his photos, then the shadow, creeping up, announcing itself in the portrait. The side of a house basking in red light strongly comes through before the starless sky. The mauve thunderstrikes below the dense clouds cut through the scene before the softer light, splitting the wall on the right flight of the image. They compose an orchestrated shot, reaping both the works of shadow and light at night, an allusion to the newfound Umphako of Sibusiso Bheka.

Super Mega, 2018

Escadinhas do Marquês de Ponte de Lima, Lisbon

Sibusiso Bheka captures the city landscape of Lisbon, Portugal, at night in a photography series

Rua da Junqueira, Lisbon

the exhibition is on view until May 2025 at La Junqueira

project info:

name: Umphako

photographer: Sibusiso Bheka | @sibusiso_bheka

residency: La Junqueira | @lajunqueiraresidency

location: R. da Junqueira 286, 1300-338 Lisbon, Portugal

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Continuing his global exploration of architects’ workspaces, Archmospheres photographer Marc Goodwin turns his lens to Porto. Traveling across the city, Goodwin visited a diverse group of architecture studios, many housed in carefully renovated buildings that speak to Porto’s layered urban fabric. This latest series highlights the character and daily life of each practice, from young collectives to long-established offices, offering a glimpse into the spaces where projects take root. Through Goodwin’s thoughtful photography, the distinct personalities of each studio — and their relationship to the city’s historic and contemporary architecture — come quietly into view.

Nuno Melo Sousa | all images © Marc Goodwin

architectural affairs

Architectural Affairs is a contemporary architecture studio founded by Portuguese architect, curator, and academic Andreia Garcia. With a strong foundation in interdisciplinary research and curatorial practice, the firm engages in projects that rethink the relationship between architecture, the city, and the environment. Known for its critical and conceptual approach, Architectural Affairs operates at the intersection of design, pedagogy, and cultural discourse — extending Garcia’s vision for architecture as a tool for sustainable, inclusive, and forward-thinking change. Before the studio moved into the 1970s-era building, captured here by photographer Marc Goodwin / Archmospheres, the space served as a garage and art gallery.

Architectural Affairs

ata atelier

ATA Atelier is an architecture practice based in Porto, founded in 2021. The firm works out of a previous retail space in a building designed by Depa Architects. Focusing on using analytical methods to guide its design process, the team pays particular attention to how architecture relates to place. ATA explores key themes such as typology, materiality, form, and space, aiming to create thoughtful, functional responses that align with both project needs and the surrounding urban context.

ATA Atelier

atelier da costa

Located in Póvoa de Varzim, a short drive from Porto’s historic center, ATELIERDACOSTA inhabits a space of quiet transformation. Once an empty shell, the studio was reimagined by its own team within a contemporary building originally designed by architect Jean Pierre Porcher in 2008. Like its architectural work, which often reveals a thoughtful attention to landscape, light, and community — as seen with its Casa de Férias project — ATELIERDACOSTA’s workspace reflects a spirit of careful calibration. Its approach tends toward clarity and warmth, balancing sturdy material choices with a sensitivity to surroundings that extends from their residential designs to the everyday atmosphere of its practice.

ATELIERDACOSTA

Atelier Local

Located in Valongo, just outside of Porto, Atelier Local occupies a quietly storied building that once served as a bakery, grocery store, and residence. Renovated by the studio in 2020–2021, the early 19th-century structure now reflects the thoughtful sensibility of João Paupério and Maria Rebelo, who founded the practice after formative experiences in Brussels and Porto. Since establishing its workspace, the studio has continued to deepen the dialogue between research and practice. The space echo its architectural approach — grounded in history, yet attentive to the subtle possibilities of renewal.

Atelier Local

colectivo mel

Located in a former private house dating back to around 1890, colectivo MEL has made its home on Rua Dr Alves da Veiga since 2014. The architecture studio describes itself as a ‘wandering architecture office,’ open to projects that seek to meaningfully improve the world. From its Porto base, MEL approaches design as a catalyst for collaboration between technicians and users, encouraging dialogue, dismantling preconceptions, and fostering community action. The practice is rooted in conscious, responsible work that respects both people and the environment, reflecting a belief that ‘work must signify a pleasure and a creative act.’

colectivo MEL

CREA — Arquitetos

In a 19th-century building once home to a school and faculty, CREA — Arquitetos has occupied its compact 30-square-meter workspace at Praça Coronel Pacheco since 2014. As part of UPTEC’s Creative Science cluster, the Porto-based studio sees its space not just as an office, but as a ‘daily site of reflection and experimentation.’

From the beginning, CREA has sought to blur the boundaries between architecture and other artistic and social expressions, cultivating a practice that, in their words, acts ‘as a support where imaginaries and experiences are transmuted into the context in which they are inserted.’ This sensibility carries through their projects, which range from collective housing to socially oriented facilities, all guided by a focus on sustainability, circularity, and shared use.

CREA — Arquitetos

Diogo Aguiar Studio

Tucked along Rua Miguel Bombarda in Porto, Diogo Aguiar Studio (DAS) occupies a 1970s building once used as a garage and later as an art gallery. Since moving into the roughly 250-square-meter space in 2022 — shared with Architectural Affairs — the studio has continued to hone its dual practice across art and architecture. Founded in 2016, DAS is known for its geometric, material-driven approach, designing everything from small buildings to immersive installations in public space.

‘Our interests lie in the material and sensorial exploration of immersive architectural or artistic spaces,’ the team notes, often through abstract and elementary compositions that explore the tensions between light and shadow, interior and exterior, emotion and rationality. From within this layered and reflective workspace, Diogo Aguiar Studio continues to shape projects that view architecture as both a built reality and a speculative investigation into space itself.

Diogo Aguiar Studio (DAS)

EXPERIMENTAL

In a former motorbike workshop on Rua da Fontinha, EXPERIMENTAL operates from a 270-square-meter space that captures the studio’s energetic approach to architecture. Founded in 2020 by Elói Gonçalves and António Mesquita, the Porto-based practice embraces a fast, hands-on design philosophy, blending the rawness of industrial spaces with a reverence for nature. Its workspace, set within a 1978 building of unknown authorship, reflects this spirit — pragmatic yet open to invention, a fitting backdrop for a team that sees creation, planning, and construction as parts of a continuous, accelerated process.

EXPERIMENTAL

FAHR 021.3

At FAHR 021.3, the workspace reflects the studio’s boundary-pushing spirit. Founded in 2012 and known for its conceptual work between art and architecture, FAHR moved into its new Porto headquarters in 2023, transforming a former garage built in 1976 into a 326-square-meter studio. The renovation, designed by the team itself, preserves the building’s utilitarian origins while opening it up to experimentation and collaboration. True to its name — derived from the German word Erfahrung (experience) — FAHR approaches both its work and environment as a laboratory for new perceptions, crafting provocative, often unexpected interventions.

FAHR 021.3

fala atelier

Set within a renovated 1930s house in the heart of Porto, fala atelier’s workspace embodies the spirit of quiet transformation that runs through the studio’s work. Since moving into the 200-square-meter space in 2018, the team has reimagined the anonymous building with the same playful precision seen across its projects — where everyday materials, curved geometries, and layered transparencies redefine familiar structures. Known for dissolving conventional boundaries between public and private, structure and ornament, fala’s approach reveals a fascination with the theatrical potential of architecture. In its workspace, as in their designs, clarity and ambiguity coexist, offering a gentle yet deliberate framework for experimentation.

fala atelier

Joaquim Portela Arquitetos

Founded in 1997, Joaquim Portela Arquitetos approaches architecture as an ongoing laboratory, where every project builds carefully on the lessons of past processes. Since 2019, the studio has been based on the ground floor of a building designed by Eduardo Souto Moura in Porto’s Rua São Bartolomeu, adapting the 247-square-meter space with an interior renovation of their own design. Reflecting the atelier’s philosophy, the workspace is shaped by a spirit of continuous refinement, supported by a team of professionals selected for their alignment with the studio’s detailed standards.

Joaquim Portela Arquitetos

Marques de Aguiar Arquitectura e Urbanismo

MAG operates from a compact 90-square-meter space within a former 19th-century house on Rua Raúl Brandão. The workspace was thoughtfully redesigned by the architects themselves, Manuel and Marta Marques de Aguiar. The studio carries forward a familial and professional legacy that began in 1997, blending time-honored design sensibilities with contemporary tools like BIM to shape projects that are both precise and personal. Whether crafting a home, a workspace, or a vacation refuge, MAG’s work is rooted in attentive collaboration, often leading to long-term relationships with clients who return to ‘challenge us with new dreams.’ The intimate scale of its Porto workspace echoes the team’s measured and responsive ethos.

MAG – Marques de Aguiar Arquitectura e Urbanismo

murmuro

Inside a modest 1990s office building in central Porto, murmuro operates from a compact 50-square-meter space that reflects the studio’s focused, deliberate approach to architecture. Founded by João Caldas and Rita Breda, the group embraces a process-oriented practice rooted in collaboration, where discussion becomes a method of discovery rather than consensus.

Its projects emerge from an openness to reframe the original brief, drawing insight not only from architectural discourse but also from curatorial research and interdisciplinary experimentation. In this way, the studio’s workspace functions less as a static headquarters and more as a site of inquiry which bridges the built environment with the broader cultural contexts that inform it.

murmuro

Nuno Melo Sousa

Found inside a former garage in Penafiel, just outside Porto, architect Nuno Melo Sousa has carved out a quiet, reflective workspace where drawing remains at the center of architectural thinking. Since moving into the 100-square-meter space in 2012, designed by José Manuel Soares, the atelier has gradually become both a testing ground for ideas and a site of collaboration.

Melo Sousa, who studied at FAUP and expanded his perspective through time at TU Delft and Balkrishna Doshi’s studio in Ahmedabad, approaches architecture with the immediacy of a sketch — his drawings, often rendered directly on walls or scattered across tables, offer a counterpoint to the slow process of construction. Today, alongside Diogo Veiga and Ana Dias, whose contrasting rhythms shape the studio’s daily atmosphere, the atelier continues to evolve as a space for experimentation, precision, and conversation.

Nuno Melo Sousa

oitoo

Hidden inside a former warehouse on Rua António José da Silva, Oitoo’s Porto studio embodies the practice’s enduring commitment to reuse and reactivation. The 1970s structure had stood vacant since 1974 before the architects transformed it in 2017 into a shared workspace with a sunlit backyard garden. Founded in late 2017 and operating between Porto and Lisbon, Oitoo draws from experience across European cities — London, Milan, Basel, and beyond — balancing design execution with critical spatial inquiry.

The studio’s work is rooted in an architectural duality: a hands-on office tackling projects of varied scales and functions, and an observatory that reflects on overlooked urban and territorial potentials. In both areas, Oitoo navigates the local with a global sensibility, advocating for adaptive reuse that meaningfully reintegrates spaces into contemporary life.

Oitoo

paulo moreira architectures

Located in a renovated 1955 warehouse designed by José Júlio de Brito, Paulo Moreira Architectures has made its home at Rua dos Clérigos 44 since 2018. The Porto-based studio, founded by Paulo Moreira in 2011, works across architecture, research, and cultural projects, with a strong sensitivity to historical contexts and public spaces.

Its portfolio ranges from residential and educational commissions to urban interventions in areas marked by social deprivation and conflict, often in collaboration with an international team. The studio’s workspace, spanning 175 square meters, reflects the layered, site-specific approach that underpins much of its work — thoughtful, precise, and attuned to the realities of place.

Paulo Moreira Architectures

summary

In a modest 100-square-meter space in a former industrial building from 1980, SUMMARY’s Porto studio reflects the firm’s clear-eyed pragmatism and experimental drive. Since relocating here in 2019, the team has used the setting not only as a workspace but as a testing ground for the prefabricated construction systems that define its architectural approach. Founded within the University of Porto’s Science and Technology Park, SUMMARY continues to bridge academic inquiry and real-world application, developing streamlined building strategies that challenge conventional timelines and construction norms — all from a quiet corner of Rua Monte Cativo, in a structure originally engineered with utilitarian precision.

SUMMARY

project info:

photographer: Marc Goodwin / Archmospheres | @archmospheres

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Mário Martins Atelier’s Casa Libre is a contemporary residence perched on a sunlit hillside overlooking the bay of Lagos, Portugal. Designed around a cozy central patio, the home integrates architectural transparency, natural light, and a sense of freedom – a concept from which it derives its name, Libre. The owners worked closely with the design team to create a home full of dichotomies — one that juxtaposes intimate and snug corners with expansive views that embrace the outdoors.

The house also presents two ways of living: an inward-facing experience centered around the private patio and an outward-facing openness toward the south, where glazing frames views of the line where the sea and sky merge. The contrast between the solid opacity of exposed concrete and the transparency of the glass heightens this duality, continuing through to the interior. An accessible extension of the landscape, the roof connects to a garden intended to be simple and natural.

all images by Fernando Guerra [FG + SG]

Mário Martins Atelier envelops the house in nature

Rather than imposing on the site, the single-story structure yields the greenery as a living element, allowing nature to envelop and weave through the residence. This also encourages an outdoor experience that goes beyond the limits of the building. Mário Martins Atelier shelters and shades the wooden decking with a lightweight, exposed, concrete canopy which extends to the glazed area. Its peak, striking in its length and elegance, finds balance in the monolithic black swimming pool rising from the garden and stretching across the house. Water cascades over its edges, reinforcing the interplay of built and natural elements.

The residence is an exposed concrete volume that the architects have punctuated with voids that introduce light, shadow, and transitional spaces that guide movement through the home, culminating in a dramatic shaft of Western light that leads to the entrance. An imposing solid wooden door, set within a recessed side entry, opens into the central patio — the heart of the home. This courtyard serves as both a spatial and functional divider, separating the social spaces of the south-facing living room and kitchen from the more private east wing, which houses four bedrooms. The north and west sections contain the garage and technical areas.

Mário Martins Atelier completes Casa Libre

Sustainability is integral to Casa Libre, as Mário Martins Atelier’s design philosophy centers on environmental responsibility. The house incorporates natural and recyclable local materials in a contemporary yet regionally inspired style, along with passive thermal control and shading solutions suited to the Mediterranean climate. Solar and photovoltaic panels, combined with heat pumps, ensure energy efficiency while maintaining a minimal visual impact. A rainwater drainage system facilitates storage and reuse, while the surrounding landscape prioritizes indigenous vegetation, drought-resistant plants, and natural groundcover.

a contemporary residence perched on a sunlit hillside

the home integrates architectural transparency, natural light, and a sense of freedom

overlooking the bay of Lagos, Portugal

the monolithic black swimming pool rises from the garden and stretching across the house

designed around a cozy central patio

the single-story structure yields to the greenery as a living element

an imposing solid wooden door, set within a recessed side entry, opens into the central patio

Mário Martins Atelier’s design philosophy centers on environmental responsibility

contrast between the solid opacity of exposed concrete and the transparency of the glass

c

the house incorporates natural and recyclable local materials in a contemporary yet regionally inspired style

an accessible extension of the landscape, the roof connects to a garden intended to be simple and natural

project info:

name: Casa Libre
architect: Mário Martins Atelier | @mario.martins.atelier

location: Lagos, Portugal

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

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As part of a design competition, Portuguese architecture studio nu.ma proposes a new bar in Aveiro that seeks to blend into its context rather than dominate it. Planned for a garden area with the historic Aveiro Seminary in the background, the project prioritizes minimal intervention. The goal is to preserve the open feel of the site while adding a functional space that supports social and cultural activities.

nu.ma’s approach to its bar in Aveiro combines structure and openness. Two opaque volumes house the bar’s technical functions, while the main seating and terrace areas remain visually and physically accessible. A lightweight rooftop is perched atop the structure, its deep coffers adding depth to the luminous seating area. The open organization ensures the new addition does not act as a barrier but instead maintains a natural flow between the garden and its surroundings.

visualizations © nu.ma

nu.ma plans a bar with flexible programming

The team at nu.ma positions its proposed bar at the convergence of three key pedestrian paths in Aveiro. Two of these connect major access points to the nearby University of Aveiro, while the third runs through Avenida da Universidade toward the Hospital and Aveiro Center. By situating the project within this network, the architects ensure the bar becomes an integrated meeting point rather than an isolated structure.

The building is designed with adaptability in mind. The terrace follows a modular system, allowing adjustments based on different needs and events. In addition to its role as a bar, the space will feature organic vegetable gardens, an aromatic plant section, and areas for concerts, film screenings, storytelling, and theater performances. This flexibility ensures it can serve as more than just a hospitality venue, evolving into a dynamic cultural hub for the community.

nu.ma designs a new bar within a garden in Aveiro, Portugal

minimal intervention is a priority to maintain the site’s open feel and character

two opaque volumes house technical functions while a central open area creates permeability

deep coffers add depth to the luminous seating area

the site is backdropped by the historic Aveiro Seminary

project info:

name: Bar in Aveiro

architect: nu.ma | @numa_arq

location: Aveiro, Portugal

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Hidden within the rolling hills of Penafiel, Portugal, Tsou Arquitectos completes this Casa da Levada as a single-family residence in dialogue with nature. The home is located within the rural village of Rua do Gondeiro, near the Tâmega River, and is designed to fluidly merge into the sloping terrain. Its architecture, defined by its cork cladding and green roof, reflects a commitment to integrating the built environment with the existing terrain, shaping the structure in response to the land. This approach lends both a visual and physical continuity between the house and the hill in which it is embedded.

images © Ivo Tavares Studio

a cut into the landscape leads to casa da levada

Upon approaching the Casa da Levada, visitors follow a walkway which the design team at Tsou Arquitectos shapes as a paved groove cut through the grassy landscape. A deliberate separation within the structure distinguishes the social and private areas, creating a central courtyard as the focal point of the design. The house is organized around this courtyard, forming an inviting outdoor space for gathering while strategically framing views of the surrounding environment with horizontal overhangs.

Casa da Levada incorporates efficient climate control solutions to enhance indoor comfort. A water-based radiant floor system, powered by a heat pump, provides both heating and cooling. The choice of ceramic flooring improves thermal radiation transfer, ensuring an efficient indoor climate. What’s more, a Controlled Mechanical Ventilation (CMV) system with a heat exchanger maintains air quality while reducing temperature loss. Strategically oriented glazing, complemented by exterior solar shading and blinds, optimizes solar gains during winter while mitigating excessive heat exposure in the summer.

Tsou Arquitectos’ Casa da Levada is a single-family residence in Penafiel, Portugal

the unique cork facade

Tsou Arquitectos prioritizes sustainability through material selection and construction techniques that reinforce Casa da Levada’s connection to the landscape. The house is clad in a unique skin of cork panels, a typical material in Portugal which provides natural insulation and durability, while a landscaped roof extends the terrain and further integrates the building with its environment. A stone patio is constructed using repurposed granite from existing ruins, ensuring resource efficiency while maintaining a historical connection to the site. These strategies contribute to improved energy efficiency, environmental preservation, and the long-term resilience of the structure.

with its low green roof, the house is concealed with the rural landscape near the Tâmega River

the structure follows the natural terrain, creating a strong connection between architecture and nature

the home is divided into social and private spaces with a central courtyard as the focal point

glazing placement with solar shading and blinds optimizes heat gain and minimizes overheating

sustainable materials such as cork cladding and a landscaped roof enhance energy efficiency

a paved walkway cuts through the ground and leads toward the home’s entrance

project info:

name: Casa da Levada

architect: Tsou Arquitectos | @tiago_tsou

location: Rua do Gondeiro, Penafiel, Portugal

lead architect: Tiago Tsou

total area: 300 square meters

completion: 2024

photography: © Ivo Tavares Studio | @ivotavaresstudio

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Portuguese Araja Studio develops Casa Calma as a quiet retreat between the beach and a pine forest. The structure is defined by four primary elements: two horizontal planes forming the floor and roof, and two vertical planes forming the house’s walls. These elements share a uniform materiality, with recessed profiles highlighting their individual presence while emphasizing their structural interdependence. The material palette includes sand-toned finishes, white stucco, glass, aluminum, and wood. Photographer Fernando Guerra captures the project during the sunset.

all images by Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Araja Studio integrates the house into its natural surroundings

Araja Studio’s design team adapts the layout to the site’s gentle slope, positioning openings strategically to optimize natural light and ventilation. While the design follows a structured geometric approach, it allows for personalization in the interior and gradual integration with the surrounding landscape. Over time, the garden interacts with the built form, softening the architectural rigidity and fostering a connection between the house and its environment.

Casa Calma by Araja Studio is designed as a refuge between the beach and a pine forest

the house is structured with four primary elements: two horizontal and two vertical planes

recessed profiles emphasize the individuality and structural interdependence of each element

a sand-toned finish defines the house’s exterior, blending with the natural surroundings

the house is adapted to the gentle slope of the site, maintaining its connection with the landscape

the horizontal planes of the house appear to float above the landscape

the architectural form follows a balanced composition of solid and void

the contrast between structured geometry and organic landscape creates a dynamic relationship

large openings are positioned to maximize natural light and ventilation

indoor spaces maintain a sense of openness while remaining protected

the material palette includes white stucco, glass, aluminum, and wood

the interplay of light and shadow accentuates the house’s sculptural form

Casa Calma’s exterior is shaped by the natural elements and changing light conditions

project info:

name: Casa Calma
architect: Araja Studio | @araja.studio
location: Portugal

photographer: Fernando Guerra | FG+SG | @fernandogguerra

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Vineyards cover the landscape of Resende, Portugal, where architect Stefano Riva transforms one of the site’s buildings into a holiday retreat, Casa Jeronimo. Set within the Douro region, known for its terraced granite walls and winemaking tradition, the residence emerges concerning the history of the site while introducing a bold pink volume.

One of the few surviving elements of the original structure, a weathered granite wall, encloses the residence. Rather than merely restoring the ruin, Riva introduces a contrasting concrete volume, an abstract interpretation of the historical footprint marked by the original farm building. Initially envisioned as partially subterranean, the discovery of a granite rock during construction led to the redesign of the project to respect the natural boundaries of the terrain.

all images by Attilio Fiumarella, courtesy of Stefano Riva

climbing plants turn Casa Jeronimo’s granite wall into a garden

Italian architect Stefano Riva organizes Casa Jeronimo across two levels. The ground floor houses the kitchen and living areas, while moving up, the first floor accommodates three bedrooms and a library. Interstitial spaces between the built forms become planted voids with climbing vegetation, and trees gradually cover the structure, transforming the preserved granite wall into an enclosure for a garden.

The use of pink-pigmented concrete mirrors the regional vernacular architecture, complementing the lush greenery of the vineyards. Rather than imposing itself on the landscape, the intervention reflects a sensitive adaptation of the existing context, shaping a contemporary retreat.

located in the vineyard-covered landscape of Resende, Portugal

a weathered granite wall encloses the residence

Riva introduces a contrasting concrete volume

the discovery of a granite rock during construction led to the redesign of the project

the residence emerges concerning the history of the site

introducing a bold pink volume

the Douro region is known for its terraced granite walls and winemaking tradition

the use of pink-pigmented concrete mirrors the regional vernacular architecture

neutral tones define the interiors

project info:

name: Casa Jeronimo

architect: Stefano Riva | @rivastefanoriva

location: Resende, Portugal

collaborator: Omar Sala, Daniela Marques, Yasmine Tanout, Aurora Mason

engineering: Jorge Gomes, JG-Projectos de Engenharia

constructor: Pereira Melo & Ribeiro Lda

client: Jeronimo Montenegro

photographer: Attilio Fiumarella | @a_phi_photo

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