A beach house made of huts with thatched roofs

The 730 sqm house designed by António Costa Lima Arquitectos on the beaches of Comporta, Portugal, is a mixture of local vernacular elements and contemporary coastal architecture. The villa is distributed on a pixelated plan in which many interconnected volumes create a labyrinth of full and empty spaces overlooking the pristine nature of the Alentejo. The body of the house is connected to the landscape by curved wooden deck pathways that curl along the sand garden among olive trees, pines and bushes, up to the nearby rice fields.

The studio has interpreted the traditional hut of the Portuguese coasts, fragmenting the volume into many tiny modules intersected by internal courtyards that ensure brightness and a certain visual complexity. The roof, supported by wooden logs and a straw roof, contrasts with the white walls, the numerous full-height glass openings and the brushed concrete floor.

Straw was also used for the external cladding of the perimeter walls, giving visual compactness to the whole. The various patios that open up in the volume have been treated with the same finishes as the interiors, reversing the perception between indoor and outdoor. The reference to the exterior is instead given by carpets that resemble the texture of the soil, making the house a real perceptual rebus.