Recreate a traditional Portuguese house. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
07/01/2021.
[Gondomar - Porto] Portugal
metalocus, JULIO RODRÍGUEZ
metalocus, JULIO RODRÍGUEZ
The studio Paulo Merlini Architects, under the motto "Us Is More" to develop his architecture, has designed Casa Rio, a contemporary intervention in an old farmhouse in a rural setting, where a dialogue between the traditional and the past itself is shown together with the future, a synthesis between times. The house is located in the Oporto District, in the town of Gondomar, north of Portugal.
The core of the project and the basic concept for its development arises because the original house was born from three even smaller houses, where a divided program appears depending on its use. The architect maintains the same original structure, however, it joins both volumes with a perforated concrete slab that leads to a central patio that allows a great entry of natural light.
The core of the project and the basic concept for its development arises because the original house was born from three even smaller houses, where a divided program appears depending on its use. The architect maintains the same original structure, however, it joins both volumes with a perforated concrete slab that leads to a central patio that allows a great entry of natural light.
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio
Ground floor plan. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
First floor plan. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Rooftop floor plan. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Elevation. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Scheme. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Scheme. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Scheme. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Scheme. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Scheme. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Scheme. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
Scheme. Rio House by Paulo Merlini Architects
The Rio House designed by Paulo Merlini shows a house developed for a user who can perceive the contrast between eras and materials. Both levels of the house have very different design developments: the ground floor is strongly dominated by a rural and rough character where the interior-exterior relationship will be fundamental. However, on the upper level, it is allowed to see the three original houses where the white color will be dominant.
The studio is very knowledgeable about the history and tradition of both the rural environment of the town and of the house itself, therefore, the contrast of materials, the reinterpretation of the architectural language, and the original composition itself allow the project to know how to integrate into the town at the same time that it can be perceived as a contemporary and attractive intervention.
The studio is very knowledgeable about the history and tradition of both the rural environment of the town and of the house itself, therefore, the contrast of materials, the reinterpretation of the architectural language, and the original composition itself allow the project to know how to integrate into the town at the same time that it can be perceived as a contemporary and attractive intervention.
Description of project by Paulo Merlini Architects
The project results from the remodeling of an old farmhouse located in a yet very rural city. By disassembling the poor materials of the old facade we discovered that the house was actually made up of three small houses built according to the needs of the former owner.
This was the key premise for the creation of our project, maintaining the structure of the original volumes and assume their original shape uncovered, unifying them through a slab perforated by a central patio that fills with light the entire social area, located on the ground floor. A garden roof finish on this central slab offers a new intimate garden to all rooms and private areas of the house.
In terms of materiality, our intention was to create a strong contrast between the two floors. On the ground floor a rougher materiality, denouncing the tectonic of the construction, transmitting the sensation of living inside a granite excavated mass, with a very strong relation with the exterior space. And in the upper floor, the geometry of the three original houses is denounced throw their materialization as pure white volumes, flooded with light. On this floor, the high right feet, the wooden shutters, the white and the wooden floors recreate the feeling of a typical Portuguese country house.
More information
Architects
Design team
Architects.- Paulo Merlini, André Santos Silva.
Area
350 sqm.
Dates
2020.
Location
Rua Pinhero Manso, Gondomar, Porto District, Portugal.
Photography
Paulo Merlini, André Santos Silva. Paulo Merlini Architects
The Portuguese studio Paulo Merlini Architects led by Paulo Merlini and André Santos Silva has developed projects throughout the Portuguese country and internationally. Among their projects to be highlighted, it is worth mentioning the Casa Río in Gondomar where they know how to understand and connect times as environments. Also worth noting is Diamante, in D'Abidjan, in Ivory Coast, which is currently underway and has almost 22,000 square meters, or the Mr & Mrs. White Store in Leça Da Palmeira in Portugal that was nominated for the award. ODA'17 in 2017.
They are motivated by their motto: "Us Is More". His main concern is to create spaces that provide users with the appropriate stimuli, to influence their homeostatic level. This is a concern based on the notion that human beings are the product of evolution. As such, we focus on understanding the human body, primarily on the brain's response to external stimuli.
They believe that if they manage to correctly control the stimuli that enter the brain, it can influence the user's mood, making them happier. They had also been awarded numerous awards such as the 1st Prize in the International Library Extension Competition in 2007 by the Facoltá di Architettura di Firenze, also being nominated for awards such as the ODA'19 for the LMR Clinic project and the Mouzinho 85 project and finalists of the Architizer A + awards for the Basho Shushi House project, among others.
They are motivated by their motto: "Us Is More". His main concern is to create spaces that provide users with the appropriate stimuli, to influence their homeostatic level. This is a concern based on the notion that human beings are the product of evolution. As such, we focus on understanding the human body, primarily on the brain's response to external stimuli.
They believe that if they manage to correctly control the stimuli that enter the brain, it can influence the user's mood, making them happier. They had also been awarded numerous awards such as the 1st Prize in the International Library Extension Competition in 2007 by the Facoltá di Architettura di Firenze, also being nominated for awards such as the ODA'19 for the LMR Clinic project and the Mouzinho 85 project and finalists of the Architizer A + awards for the Basho Shushi House project, among others.
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