2024 · Lisbon, Portugal · Adaptive Reuse
Baia House
Reimagining a mid-century villa
Photography: Clara Monteiro
Respect the original architect intelligence. Correct what decades of alteration had obscured. Add only what the building was always missing.
Overview
The original house was designed in 1962 by a student of Francisco Keil do Amaral. Our task was to update it for contemporary living while respecting the spirit of the original design. We restored the original cedar brise-soleil, opened the kitchen to the garden, and introduced a warm material palette of terracotta, oak, and linen.
Specifications
Material Palette
Original Terrazzo
The existing terrazzo - found beneath 40 years of vinyl flooring - was restored by a specialist craftsman using the original aggregate mix. The restored floor is indistinguishable from the original; only the areas where the vinyl had caused moisture damage were re-cast.
Terracotta
New terracotta was introduced in the kitchen and bathrooms as a counterpoint to the terrazzo - warmer, more tactile, and clearly contemporary. The tone was matched to the clay soil, rooting the interior in the hillside landscape.
Linen
All soft furnishings use undyed natural linen. The material ages and softens with use, developing a patina that echoes the timber, terrazzo, and clay that surround it.
Light Strategy
The original cedar brise-soleil was designed to block summer sun above 55 degrees elevation on the west facade. The restoration preserved this geometry exactly. The result is a west-facing living room that receives warm afternoon light in autumn and winter but remains shaded and cool during the summer.
Site Response
The garden is on a steep slope below the house. Rather than terracing for a flat lawn, the garden was replanted with native hillside species - cistus, lavender, and wild olive - that require no irrigation and provide a natural visual screen from the street below.
Spatial Archive
PROJECT TEAM & CREDITS
