A private residence embedded into a mountainside in south-western Alentejo, Portugal. The project involves the complete refurbishment of an old taipa rammed-earth farmhouse, with a significant extension, resulting in approximately 120 m² of interior space.
The concept combines the simple form of a traditional Alentejo house with a contrasting contemporary volume. From the south-west, the house appears solid and protective, using thermal mass, deep roof overhangs, and smaller openings to reduce heat gain. The exterior palette blends with the sun-scorched mountain slopes, while the layout provides shade, privacy, and natural cross-ventilation throughout the house.
The house was divided into two independent units: a one-bedroom apartment on the upper floor of the old farmhouse, and the main residence occupying the new volumes and ground floor below. The composition is built from intersecting volumes, opening into one another and creating framed views through the house.
Outdoor areas are placed along the rocky hillside for privacy and protection from the southern sun, while opening toward valley views to the west. The west-facing pool is partly screened by the projecting living-room wall, and the recessed living area focuses directly on the water. The flat roof above the kitchen and wet areas serves as a terrace for the independent apartment upstairs, which is connected to the main house by an external glazed staircase.
The house has a simple structural approach: the old farmhouse is carefully restored in taipa, while the new volumes use the same material language - limewashed taipa walls, fire-retardant treated timber low-pitch roofs, and concrete slabs and foundations.
194 Alentejo House
Alentejo, Portugal
Under Construction
2025
2026
120m2
Architecture
Private Residence
Daniil Vyazemskiy, Azaliia Miftakhova
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VIEW studio
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