The Casa dos Santos, in Portugal, was designed around a single idea: the view.
Every space is aligned toward the landscape. Nothing is random. The house stretches across the site, creating a continuous connection between interior and exterior.
On one side, it fully opens. On the other, it stays closed. This creates privacy, better thermal performance, and a much stronger relationship with the surroundings.
A simple decision. But everything comes from it.
Architects: Ana de Bastos Location: São João da Madeira, Aveiro, Portugal Year: 2021 Area: not disclosed Photography: Alexander Bogorodskiy
This house was designed for one thing, the view. Everything here revolves around it.
This is the Casa dos Santos in Portugal, a house set on an elevated site with open views toward
a striking landscape. It was almost inevitable that every space in the house would connect to
that view. From that point, the design takes shape. The house is single-story, but not compact.
It stretches, a long volume, over 20 meters, all aligned toward the landscape. This allows
every space to open in the same direction and prevents any room from losing the view.
As you enter, the house opens, but not in every direction. It is directed, fully oriented toward
the landscape. The living room, the kitchen, and even the bedrooms connect to that side,
and this connection is continuous. The material palette reinforces this connection,
wood, clay tiles, light tones inside, and stone, everything chosen to create a more comfortable
atmosphere without excess. The interior extends outward into a courtyard that works as an
extension of the house, an open space, but protected, covered by a large sloped roof.
The design also responds to what already exists around it. It doesn't try to stand out in a
forced way. The idea was to fit the house into its surroundings, without creating a strong
contrast with nearby buildings. That's why a pitched roof with clay tiles was used, something
common in the region. At the same time, it's combined with the flat roof of the garage.
This contrast keeps the house contemporary, even while using traditional elements.
Light is also part of this. It enters through large glass surfaces,
reflects on the light finishes, and changes the space throughout the day.
Here, the starting point was the place itself, the landscape, the surrounding buildings,
and the vegetation, especially the pine trees, which are very present on the site.
And an important decision was made from the beginning. None of the existing trees were
removed. The house adapts to the site, not the other way around.
The house controls the opposite side. On the back facade, the openings are minimal,
fixed windows, more closed. This improves thermal performance and reduces exposure.
In other words, the house is not fully open. It chooses where to open and where to close.
Another important point is how it sits on the site. The house doesn't force the terrain.
It follows it. It adapts to the contours and preserves the existing trees.
This creates a more natural relationship with the place.
In the end, the Casa dos Santos is simple to understand. It resolves everything through
one clear decision. Look toward the landscape and organize everything from that point.
A house that doesn't try to show everything. It chooses one direction. And does it very well.
