Casa C M Pool Photo: OODA
In 2018, OODA Architects from Porto designed the single-storey Casa C M summer house with a patio for a private client, which has now been completed.
The topographical structure of the building site adjacent to an allotment garden in Oeiras, Portugal, posed a particular challenge. In addition, there were valuable old trees on the property that needed to be preserved. The architects’ approach to both ultimately shaped the morphology of the Casa.
The methods used by OODA Studio always include a precise analysis of a location and an understanding of its uniqueness. On this basis, OODA develops concepts for striking architecture that blends into nature in a tranquil way. This practice also determined the design for Casa C M, which OODA Architects planned as a single-storey summer house with a cool patio. The topographical structure of the building site in Oeiras, which is characterized by steep slopes, posed a particular challenge.
Oeiras is a small town in the western metropolitan region of Lisbon on the Atlantic coast. For city dwellers, it is a popular weekend or excursion destination in summer due to its sheltered beaches, making it a place with a vacation atmosphere. The building site for Casa C M was home to valuable old trees, which were incorporated into the architectural concept and also characterize the architecture. These trees were enveloped by the building mass, so they stand in the courtyard, in the room or in front of the entrance. Their crowns protrude through the roof.
OODA developed Casa C M as a kind of earth house with generous glazed façades to the north, east, south and courtyard. It is covered with a high concrete roof. Viewed from above, the building is compact on a U-shaped floor plan and also appears very stable due to the height of the concrete roof. It is surrounded by a green area and was built into the terrain, which rises to the west and is now stepped. The building is accessed via the entrance in the north-east corner. The staircase on the slope also leads outwards to the green area. A landscaped pool in front of the slope at the end of the patio reflects the summer sun and the surrounding greenery. The garden, pool and a tall tree that is over a hundred years old provide additional cool, pleasant temperatures in the outdoor area during the hot southern European summer months.
Alongside glass, wood and concrete are the most important building materials. While glass characterizes the lower part of the façade, concrete is essential at the top. Wood is mainly used as flooring and wall cladding. It is the habitable part of the building that has also been lined with this warm material to create a human, intimate and subdued atmosphere. The rooms of Casa C M are column-free, which made the choice of concrete as a building material possible. They appear spacious. The impression of space is generous, the spans are impressive. There are therefore no visual barriers. If the accent is also on the horizontality of the rooms, the U-shaped floor plan, the patio and the accessible roof bring lateral movement to the visual axes and pathways for uses.
Purism dominates the interior: in the living room, a seating area is set into the floor and the rest of the room is uncluttered with furniture. The functional kitchen furniture is made of cubes, while the table for eight people with seating is again made of wood. This principle is also continued in the outdoor area with a few pieces of furniture from Harry Bertoia. The interior design and furnishings allow for pleasant get-togethers with family and friends without diluting the impression of the space.
Another unusual building that was created in Lisbon is the Redbridge school, a kindergarten-primary school combination.
