Architecture practice Luppa Architects was commissioned to renovate and expand a home located on land with an agricultural setting in Alto Minho, a region in northern Portugal near the border with Spain.

On the site, in addition to a two-story home with no connection between them, there was a volume dedicated to storing agricultural tools and materials. The project's intention was to renovate these two volumes, creating a corridor that would allow for their connection and independent use.

Luppa Arquitectos' design includes two new entrances. On the ground floor, the new corridor leads to both the old farm building and the ground floor of the old residential building. On the latter, the program organizes the home by creating a new interior staircase between the two floors, placing two bedrooms on the lower floor and an open-plan space on the upper floor, where the second access is located via an external staircase. This area has a balcony that leads to a large terrace.

On the outside, the materials used followed the grammar of the area: granite, white plaster, and blood red tones. However, inside, the references were freely reinterpreted, expanding to more intense colors such as green and yellow, which energize the space, creating an interesting abstract vision of the interior.

Casa do Castanheiro by Luppa Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.

Casa do Castanheiro by Luppa Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.

Project description by Luppa Architects

Casa do Castanheiro is a rehabilitation project which aims to expand and transform a small Minho house.

On the site, there was a two-story main house with no connection between the floors, along with a volume attached for storing agricultural materials, leaning against the property wall. The project’s intention was to rehabilitate these two volumes, creating a corridor connecting them, serving as the hinge of the house and allowing the use of the two volumes independently.

Casa do Castanheiro by Luppa Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.
Casa do Castanheiro by Luppa Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.

One staircase was also created in the main house, which not only connects the two floors but also organizes the upper floor space. Although the upper floor is entirely an open space, it features distinct areas for the living room, dining room, and kitchen in a hierarchically arranged layout.

From the upper floor, there is also access to a balcony that connects to a terrace at the same level, creating a large entryway into the garden for those entering the house from the ground floor.

There was no doubt that the formal grammar of the exterior architectural elements should consist of granite, white plaster, and blood-red hues, clearly indicating that we are in a house in Minho. Inside, however, these references have been deconstructed, introducing other colours—green and yellow—as small touches that aim to enliven the spaces with abstract compositions.

Casa do Castanheiro by Luppa Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.
Casa do Castanheiro by Luppa Architects. Photograph by Ivo Tavares Studio.

Casa do Castanheiro is a house to be lived primarily in outdoors, and once one enters the gardens, the street is left behind, creating a complete countryside atmosphere. Therefore, there are various points of connection between the exterior and interior, nooks, leisure spaces, and contemplative areas that make this project a retreat for its inhabitants, whether for occasional visits or permanent residence.

More information

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Architects
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Luppa Architects. Arquitecto.- Francisco Mesquita Moura.

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Collaborators
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André Machado, Gonçalo Campinho, Pedro Tavares.

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Area
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Total area.- 220.00 sqm.

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Dates
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Completion.- 2024.

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Location
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Alto Minho, Portugal.

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Photography
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Luppa is an office of Architecture and 3D images production, located in Porto, Portugal. Created by architects Gonçalo Campinho, André Machado and Francisco Mesquita Moura, its purpose is to develop architectural projects and new ways to represent them through photo-realistic digital compositions.

With a critical thinking about the city that surrounds them, they seek to introduce the use of contemporary digital tools in the architectural process, developing a better connection between architects, clients and the final product.
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Published on: August 13, 2025
Cite:
metalocus, NOELIA YUAN GONZÁLEZ-SIMANCAS GARCÍA
"Traditional and vibrant. Casa do Castanheiro by Luppa Architects" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/traditional-and-vibrant-casa-do-castanheiro-luppa-architects> ISSN 1139-6415
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