It has a markedly contemporary appearance, but is surrounded by the natural environment in which it is located. It looks like a child’s drawing — and that’s on purpose. The features are simple and light, the responsible architect, Marco Ligeiro, tells P3.
Casa MH, the name given to the project by Esqussos – Arquitectura e Consultoria, is located in Sintra and replaces an old building on the site, a “house from the 1970s, very lacking in character”, describes the architect. The objective was not to remodel it – it was to build something completely different and sustainable.
Marco Ligeiro tried to idealize something “unpretentious” but with simple aspects that made a difference: “We wanted it to be contemporary, with some lines that resemble more traditional architecture. However, we included several notes and took care in the design, to give the building the modernity that we understand as essential for our projects”, he explained.
Furthermore, he explains, they invested in the use of “certified wood” and avoided “the most intrusive materials”, such as concrete. “Several customers in Sintra are concerned about humidity. In this house, there is no type of humidity because the construction system is a dry system with a minimum of elements containing water, such as cement and concrete”, he explains to P3.
This creates a simple, white mass, with some wooden details and decorated with a minimalist garden, which changes throughout the year. Marco Ligeiro says that the various windows that decorate the house serve as a way of contemplating the garden, in addition to providing plenty of natural light. “It’s a house that invites you to go out and live with the outside, in an inevitable proximity to nature”, he describes.
The house began to be built in 2020, but the work was only completed last year. It is already being inhabited and the clients are “very satisfied”, says the architect.
Text edited by Inês Chaíça
Tags: unpretentious house Sintra embraces nature Photogallery
