2025 · Algarve, Portugal · Residential
Casa Monte
A hillside retreat in the Algarve
Photography: Francisco Nogueira
Ahousethatdoesnotresistitssite—itfollowsthecontour,openstotheafternoonlight,andsettlesintotheland.
Specifications
The Brief
A family of four needed a home that worked equally well for retreat and for gathering — one that could be quiet and private, or open and connected to the surrounding landscape. The brief was simple: nothing unnecessary.
The Site
The south-facing slope presented both a constraint and an opportunity. A building placed perpendicular to the hill would interrupt the view and require significant excavation. Instead, we stretched the programme along the contour — a single linear volume anchored at one end by the hillside and floating free at the other.
The long south facade reads as a single horizontal line against the hillside. The deep concrete overhang casts a moving shadow across the render throughout the day, marking the passage of afternoon light without a clock.
Light & Orientation
Every aperture was positioned after a study of the sun's path in June and December. Living spaces face south-southwest to receive afternoon light. Bedrooms face east for a gentle morning arrival. The entrance corridor faces north — deliberately shadowed — so that the transition into the living space becomes a moment of revelation.
Inside, the material palette contracts to three elements: the local stone that continues from the exterior, white plaster walls, and warm oak flooring. The intention was a space that would never feel finished or decorated — only present.
The single aperture in the living room was sized precisely to frame the horizon. At 2.4 metres wide and 90 centimetres tall, it sits below eye level when standing — a composition of sea and sky rather than a window.
Specification // Architectural Drawings & Plans
Drawing Index & Spatial Sections
DWG // 01 // Ground Floor Plan
SCALE 1:100 @ A1
Primary spatial layout showing living courtyard integration and natural ventilation axis.
The ground plan prioritizes continuous indoor-outdoor flow, wrapping communal living spaces around an internal rainwater garden.
Material Palette
Local Limestone
Quarried 12 kilometres from the site, the limestone was chosen for its warm ochre tone that reads identically whether dry or wet — a permanence the Mediterranean climate demands of exterior materials.
White Hydraulic Lime Render
Traditional mineral render rather than synthetic coating — breathable, repairable, and capable of the slight surface variation that gives the facade depth under raking light.
White Oak
European white oak, lightly brushed and oiled, used throughout the interior. The brushing opens the grain without ageing the timber artificially — a surface that will develop honestly over time.
Light Strategy
The building section was designed as a light instrument. A continuous clerestory above the kitchen runs the full length of the north wall, admitting indirect sky light throughout the day. The south apertures are shaded by a 1.2-metre concrete overhang, calibrated to exclude direct sun above 45° elevation — blocking July midday while admitting December afternoon sun.
Site Response
No mature trees were removed. The construction platform was cut in a single pass, preserving the hillside's natural drainage. The garden terracing uses the same limestone as the building, so the cultivated landscape reads as an extension of the architecture rather than a setting for it.
Spatial Archive
SPATIAL EXPERIENCE
The aperture below eye level frames the Atlantic rather than the sky — grounding the interior experience within the landscape rather than above it.
South-facing living room, afternoon light
Kitchen, north clerestory light
East-facing bedroom, morning light
PROJECT TEAM & CREDITS
