A House Shaped by Every Limit Around It

Casa no Gerês, in Caniçada, Portugal, could only exist because there was already a small ruin on the site.

Set in a protected natural landscape near the Cávado River and one of its tributaries, the house was shaped by strict limits: preserve the trees, respect the terrain, and build from the existing ruin.

Instead of spreading across the land, the architects created a long concrete volume that partly rests into the slope and partly projects over the landscape. From the access side, the house feels low and restrained. From the river side, it becomes a suspended concrete retreat, with large glass openings facing the trees and water.

This is a house about limits.
The limit of the ruin.
The limit of a protected landscape.
The limit between rock, river, concrete, glass, and wood.

Credits / data:

Architects: Correia / Ragazzi arquitectos
Photographers: Nelson Garrido, Alberto Placido, Luis Ferreira Alves
Location: Caniçada, Vieira do Minho, Portugal
Project Year: 2006

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