Three Courtyards House
THREE COURTYARDS HOUSE
Miguel Marcelino
ARCHITECTS
Miguel Marcelino
PHOTOGRAPHS
Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
LOCATION
Benavente, Portugal
CATEGORY
Houses
YEAR
2009
Text description provided by architect.
The plot is located in the middle of a “montado” landscape, being the best views to the north with a lake and the skyline punctuated by cork oak trees.
The house is organized in a compact volume of two floors, complemented by three courtyards all different in size and features.
A first large courtyard, enclosed, intimate, situates on the south side, embracing a big existing cork oak. Next to the back entrance there is another smaller patio, for service.
The third courtyard works as a key element in the relationship between home and the north side – it’s a slim space with a large horizontal opening that frames the landscape – it has an atmosphere of a "inner space outdoors”, the light is soft, by reflection on the outer wall that receives direct sunlight.
This vertical courtyard communicates with a staircase that leads to an open terrace, the last element of the sequence of spaces, patios and atmospheres that go from more introspective and private to more open and outside.
