Sinal House

Caminha, Viana do Castelo District, Portugal

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Sinal House

Caminha, Viana do Castelo District, Portugal

Firm

Pardo

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2024

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

The sublime landscape of the place blends with the sea, the sky and the mist. From the building to the landscape, the Sinal House overlooks the mouth of Minho River, the hill of Santa Tecla, Caminha and the mouth of Coura River. The lines of the bank and the topography outline the contours of the scenery that is defined and reflected in the water’s surface.
From inside of the Sinal House, controlled views offer distinct perspectives, transforming the space based on light intensity, weather conditions, and time of year. In the foreground, vegetation and buildings complement the frames, with a singular granite masonry element at the eastern end, topped by a cross — Sinal dos Mareantes — which gives the place its name and identity.
The presence of the Sinal in dialogue with the existing building and the landscape intensity determined the principles of the project. The pre-existing building in plastered and painted stone masonry, with a gable roof, is connected to a new volume that arises from intersecting alignments between façades and directing views from the interior to the distant landscape. The new volume, shaped and lightened by the voids in the white façade, is interrupted to the North by the narrow balcony, and to the West by the balcony that overlooks the river mouth and the road.
Communication between the two volumes is made through a bridge under which the entrance to the house is located. Inside, the birch wood on the marble cement floor defines the spaces, from the entrance to the kitchen, like a box that guides us through the house and belongs to the two floors, incorporating built-in furniture. Complementing the kitchen and in contrast with the birch, the mahogany cabinet is a massive body interrupted by a void that lets the cook peek through. It also provides storage for the dining room, which extends toward the granite threshing floor, soon to be shaded by vegetation hanging from the pergola.
Back at the entrance, the riga staircase and handrail, integrated into the birch volume, lead us to the first floor. The view over the river mouth fills the top West end of the living room, while to the East, the Sinal is prominent, and the corner window frames the Rivers and Caminha, creating the ideal scenery for the reading room. The birch furniture continues along the corridor, over the riga floor, and ends by housing books and vinyl records.
The connection to the existing building is made through the ‘viewpoint bridge’, a space for contemplation, work and reading, leading to the private area of the house. The visual axis between bedrooms allows us to peek out from the nearby path to the bank of Coura River. Viewpoints align through a sequence of windows and spaces, offering different scenarios of the surroundings.
The journey through the house becomes a discovery of views, angles and planes in a constant interaction between space and landscape.

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Collaborating Firms

Jose Campos

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Team

Pardo arquitectura

architects

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Sinal House

Caminha, Viana do Castelo District, Portugal

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Sinal House

Caminha, Viana do Castelo District, Portugal

Other Projects by Pardo

Povoença House

QBN House

Nogueiras House

Sinal House

Caminha, Viana do Castelo District, Portugal

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team