Colaço House, Alcochete

Located in the Quebrada Sul  in Alcochete city, with a gross building area of 230.00 sq.m, the villa has two floors, a basement and a roof floor on a plot of 380.50 sq.m.

The house has a bedroom suite with bathroom and dressing room, two bedrooms and a guest bathroom on the 2nd floor, a large living room with a living area and kitchen incorporated, 1 bedroom and a guest bathroom on the ground floor. With an implantation of about 133.20 sq,m, the villa has a patio space with swimming pool, garden and parking area for one car.

The construction system utilizes the Light Steel Framing (LSF) method- a cold-formed steel construction process. The method was developed by the AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute), in accordance with existing structural regulations, and first published in 1997. This method was developed in cooperation with committees of researchers, manufacturers, designers and builders at LSF – It is in the construction phase that light steel solutions have shown great advantages over other conventional concrete and masonry solutions. The LSF structure has a much lower final weight than concrete or masonry solutions.

Regarding the architectural design, the Colaço house has a cubic shape, with the upper part standing out due to the contrast of colors. The plinth is in natural cast concrete, while the upper floor and the roof floor are made of light steel.

The rear elevation has a very sober architectural language, with large glazed surfaces in order to enjoy the landscape over the natural terrain of cork oaks.

In order to take full advantage of the housing implantation, it was decided to raise the threshold level to 1.20 m, so that the garage ramp is not too accentuated and the access to the back patio where the swimming pool is located, has only 5 steps on both sides of the lot.

The room’s wide spans allow direct access to the pool deck so that in the warmer months of the year you can enjoy both the interior and exterior space.

The window frames are made up of two sliding leaves on the south elevation and three sliding leaves on the east elevation.

On the upper floor, both bedrooms have access to a common balcony, with large glass surfaces, a system identical to that of the living room in which in the warmer months the glass sheets can be opened, providing a free flow between the interior and the exterior.

The best view was reserved for the attic, a versatile space that can function as an office or even a support room for housing. The architecture acquires its maximum expression here in the simplicity of the forms, with emphasis on the shading flaps that mark the silhouette of the building.

Architecture: Nuno Ladeiro & Carmo Branco, architects

Collaboration: Bárbara Raimundo, architect / Pedro Fernandes, Designer

Engineering: Nuno Santos

Location: Rua dos Morangos, Alcochete