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Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners
Açude House,  | International Design Awards Winners

Açude House

Lead DesignersAndreas Mörschel
Prize(s)Honorable Mention
Entry Description

Açude House lays in the stunning natural landscape, near Comporta, a small village on the Atlantic shore, one hour south of Lisbon. The awareness and respect for the site along with the intention to preserve its natural legacy were the main influence for the project.
The building, a clear representation of contemporaneity, was inspired by vernacular oriental architecture and its tectonic construction methods. The house sits on top of one of the large dunes rolling through Comporta’s extensive pine-tree forests, where traditional and contemporary design principles join efforts to gently anchor the house into this special landscape with the minimum impact.
Conceptually the house sits on a concrete slab, which appears to float above the sand dune, where three pavilions are organically clustered around a central patio exploring the relation with the surroundings, opening different perspectives from each room. The infinity pool’s concrete volume grows podium like out of the dune, completing the ensemble, along with a more distant and independent forth pavilion.
The main house is composed by a Master-Suite including a Hamman and a built-in Jacuzzi (pavilion 1), two Guest Suites (pavilion 2) and a large living area with an embedded open kitchen core (pavilion 3).
Four main materials with elementary aesthetics have been used for the conception of the house; Concrete, Steel, Wood and Glass. Exposed concrete slabs and walls combined with an elegant steel exoskeleton set up the structure of the house, enclosed by huge sliding glass panes and the anthracite metal sheet cladded roof. Broad wooden pergolas, shutters and wooden ceilings turn the house into a contemporary yet highly comforting and habitable space.
The house’s complex and elegant details, its delicate transitions between materials, singular metal structure, and complex wood works, were only possible by the profound knowledge and dedicated cooperation with our specialized craftsmen.