PROD ARCHITECTURE COMPLETES THE HOUSE OF FOUR HOUSES

A Portuguese holiday home composed of four connected volumes

The House of Four Houses is a holiday house located in Penafiel, Portugal. Designed by local architecture firm PROD Architecture, the home is made up of four volumes arranged around a covered interstitial space. Architects Paulo Carvalho and Susana Correia, who founded PROD Architecture in 2009, led the project.

The humble size of the surrounding buildings determined the project’s overall scale, leading the design team to divide the space across four small gabled buildings. The four separate volumes are situated around a central core that is enclosed by a flat transparent roof and full glazing. This allows light into the center of the home while also providing views of the surroundings.

One building is turned to match the direction of an adjacent building while simultaneously opening up the rear of the home to the garden and terrace with floor-to-ceiling windows. The glass wall of the rear volume also completely retracts to open the living space to the exterior.

Multiple storeys make up the home’s living space. The laundry room, garage and wine cellar are located below ground, while the ground level holds the principal living and sleeping space. A small mezzanine above the living area provides a quiet, peaceful study.

Weathered pineboard cladding and a zinc roof contribute to the home’s modest demeanor, allowing it to be perfectly part of its environment. Although composed of separate elements, constant connections are created throughout the home through the interstitial space and with the extensive use of glass that also blurs the lines between the home and its external surroundings.