A narrow swimming pool, a 30-square-meter pool, the roof of this concrete house in northern Portugal, designed by local studio Carvalho Araújo to exploit views of the countrified landscape in Serra d'Arga.
The material, shape and tectonics of the buildings remind us of the current Brazilian architects, and it is no coincidence. José Manuel Carvalho Araújo has his office not only in Portuguese Braga city but also in São Paulo.
Description of project by Carvalho Araújo
The shelter is located on a steep terrain on the edge of the village, with a privileged view over the Serra d’Arga mountains. The building should occupy the space of the existing ruin, be small, compact and have a pool.
There are images of villages and farms that we retain since ever. The first image that we associate to the terrain and the place is the water tank: public or private, they served to wash, water supply or even to the more or less illegal child’s adventures. Above all they were an important meeting point, a workplace and an important symbol of community life.
The pool has assumed particular relevance in the design, searching in its relationship with the terrain the image of the old tanks. The steep slope of the land allowed to accommodate the shelter at the bottom of the pool volume, composed by a living room/kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom. The elementary program was organized around an interior courtyard that provides lighting and ventilation to the rooms.
