Design firm: Filipe Saraiva - Arquitectos
Project name: Casinha Da Melroeira
Location: Melroeira, Ourém, Portugal 
Dimensions: 116 sqm

In the Portuguese hinterland, the compact gabled structure of this house, designed by Filipe Saraiva, is cut away in just the right places to establish visual connections with the vanished landscape, the memory of which remains. Built on the site of a former building, the dwelling engages in dialogue with the adjacent Casa de Melroeira, also designed by Saraiva, echoing its profile. The composition is guided by the space of the old farmyard that once opened up in front of the building — an original void towards which the main rooms, the bedrooms and the living area, are arranged. This transforms an absence into a focal point that organises the space. Similarly, voids carved into the volume create patios and threshold spaces between the inside and outside. Free from orthogonal geometry, these spaces play with oblique lines as if dynamically 'chasing' the landscape in search of memories, natural light, and privileged views — such as that of the ancient castle in the distance.