NG House / Arquitectos Anonimos

Aug 2009

Architects: Arquitectos Anónimos®, Maria Veloso and Vasco Aragão
Location: St. Tirso, Portugal
Client: Norte Golfe
Structural consultant: Hélder Ferreira
Floor area: 80 sqm
Site area: 1,100 sqm
Built-up area: 80 sqm
Start of planning: 2006
Start of construction: 2006
Completion: 2006
Photographs: Abel Andrade

Sometimes we dig up foundations only to cover them up again. A safe certainty to determine what can be shown in the pre-existings. This extension, a wooden finished container, side toped with big glass plans, answers to a simple program possible to become a private house.

section

It is an open space with the pavement equiped, ready to receive the adequate facilities (bath and kitchen modules) to become a single person house. We design a light metalic system which permits ample overhangs, freeing up the interior space from other structural elements or walls. The transmition of forces from the tube-box is supported on the powerfull existing stone wall.

: ground floor plan

: first floor plan

: section

: structure scheme

18 comments »

sullka says:

mmmm…….at first glance I thought: AWESOME!

I still think it’s beautiful, but I think it works better as a house’s pavilion or a guest house, as a main residence it’s too “containerish”.

Either case would love to see it finished, with the freestanding bathroom and kitchen modules.

# August 10, 2009 at 15:02

INawe says:

agreed.

# August 10, 2009 at 15:26

zga says:

very nice but why no windows in the side – mess up the simplicity? too tube/cavelike.

# August 10, 2009 at 15:37

hj says:

it could’ve used a cantilever imho

# August 10, 2009 at 16:51

Eric says:

If that’s the structural scheme, it must be tough to get up the stairs…

# August 10, 2009 at 17:04

Wargo says:

Look as a pavillion.

# August 10, 2009 at 22:38

theChavacano says:

Yes it looks like a pavillion, a guest house and a container, but still beautiful and works, Portugal, Brazil, what is it the lenguage or the Nyemeyer and Siza influences?

# August 11, 2009 at 01:18

Dan says:

very nice “kiss” between old and new, light and heavy, solid/open etc.

# August 11, 2009 at 02:43

The Big Black & White Zebra says:

Elegant simplicity from Portugal… yet again.
Beautifully designed, detailed and made.

Why is it bad to live in a tube, why is it wrong to live in a simple space, why does the geometry have to be complex?

Also, how big a space do we need to live in. As we stamp our footprint ever and ever larger. As populations increase we need to be more modest with the space we take up. Maybe fewer possessions would require less space.

I like the way the new structure uses the old stone walls in the most delicate way. There is a real dynamic and respect between the two… fantastico!

# August 11, 2009 at 03:15

I agree – I see nothing wrong with living in a small, simple tube like space…

However, I don’t see why the designer(s) would interrupt that space with the kitchen module (per the plan and section). I also don’t like how the center section of the plan just sort of feels like left over unused space between the stair, the toilet module and the kitchen module.

I did notice in the plan that it appears as though there was to be a window behind the wood slats near the stair – but I don’t see it in the photos. I think this type of move would help alleviate the concerns drawn by most of the other critiques.

# August 11, 2009 at 11:55

Felipe Goes says: