Aires Mateus . photos: © João Guimarães
Released some few new pictures of House in Melides I shot by João Guimarães.
Located in the middle of Alentejo, in a large plot, with an area of approximately forty hectares, with no constructions inside it, the project for the House in Melides was based on the idea of a rigorous orthogonal grid inscribed in a square that defines, in its interstices, the living spaces. Or, better putting it, on the idea of the ruin of a Roman house that, inscribed in a square, has an orthogonal structure that defines a succession of spaces, some covered, like the main living room, the kitchen, the kids’ bedroom, the main bedroom, guestrooms, playground, service, and some uncovered, forming courtyards.
A grid is reduced to the very thickness of the material in which it was, after all, built: the artisanal brick. It is this one single material, handmade brick, in continuity with the earth, that defines the house, using the dimension of the bricks as a reference. This local material imbues the house with a natural relationship with the landscape. The interior rooms of the house and its supporting spaces are organized around different external spaces, successions of gardens, each with unique experiences, atmospheres, colours, smells and uses.
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