In Verdizela, a low-density residential area about twenty kilometres from Lisbon where the Atlantic breeze mingles with the scent of pine trees, Estúdio AMATAM has created a home for a couple seeking an intimate refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The design is based on a contemporary interpretation of the Mediterranean and Islamic courtyard house, with an introverted exterior that opens up into a series of internal patios. These patios are the focal points of the layout and the centre of domestic life.

An essential lexicon outlines the discreet but strongly connoted character of the dwelling. The building stands out clearly in its context with an articulated geometry composed of volumetric aggregations revealing the internal functional scheme. If the north-east façade facing the street is hermetically sealed, renouncing any perspective connection with the outside, the south-west façade blurs into large openings towards the courtyard. An immaculate shell, with a sintered stone-clad base and plastered upper surfaces, creates a lively contrast with the exterior wood panelling and plays with the reflections of the sharp Portuguese light.

From the entrance, a sequence of interconnected spaces leads to the discovery of radiant rooms through a dialectic of subtractions and alternations between full and empty spaces, interior and exterior. At the entrance, a small patio acts as a physical (and conceptual) threshold between outside and inside. At the centre of the house, a patio that brings in natural light and ventilation acts as a fulcrum around which the “blocks” of living spaces unfold, as in a centrifugal motion: on the ground floor, the garage, the living area (kitchen, living room and dining area) and the bedroom; on the first floor, the sleeping area overlooking planted terraces and the bathrooms. Towards the garden, an additional patio enclosed by screens that introject changing plays of light expands the home towards the garden: at the centre of the patio, a large oculus carved into the ceiling above frames a tree as the “guardian angel” of the home.

Inside, a neutral colour palette amplifies the rarefied yet welcoming character of the space: from the continuous surfaces of the micro-cement floors on the ground floor and natural oak on the upper floor, to the stone cladding in the wet areas and the essential furnishings in light finishes.