2025 · Algarve, Portugal · Residential
Villa Marim
Coastal living on the Ria Formosa
Photography: Francisco Nogueira
Three pavilions arranged around a shared courtyard - a family home that works like a village, where privacy and gathering are both possible without negotiation.
Overview
The project takes its cue from the vernacular architecture of the Ria Formosa - white volumes, shaded patios, and a porous relationship between interior and landscape. Three pavilions are arranged around a central courtyard, connected by covered walkways. Each pavilion opens fully onto its own garden, allowing the family to occupy the spaces differently throughout the day and across seasons.
Specifications
Material Palette
White Hydraulic Lime Render
The white render is a direct inheritance from the vernacular architecture of the Algarve. It is not decorative - it is thermally functional, reflecting solar radiation in summer while allowing the walls to breathe in all seasons.
Alentejo Limestone
Used for all horizontal surfaces - courtyard paving, walkway floors, and the pool surround. The stone is laid in large format to minimise joints, creating a continuous surface that reads as a single plane in the afternoon light.
Cork Insulation
Portuguese cork insulates all roof assemblies. No imported petrochemical insulation was used. The material is harvested 200 kilometres north of the site; its carbon footprint is negative throughout its service life.
Light Strategy
The bedroom pavilion faces east-northeast, receiving direct sun only in the morning and remaining cool through the hottest part of the day. The limestone brise-soleil filters this early light, casting a moving grid of shadow across the bedroom floor - a gentle, natural alarm.
Site Response
The lagoon edge was left entirely unbuilt. A 40-metre setback from the water creates a meadow of native grass that acts as a visual buffer between the architecture and the protected natural habitat. The building never competes with the horizon.
PROJECT TEAM & CREDITS
