Pa.te.os in Melides: Four Contemporary Holiday Houses by Manuel Aires Mateus.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

A gentle love for a property and the coastal scenes of Portugal’s Aletenjo has inspired a couple to turn their site into a hospitality project. Now known as Pa.te.os., the property is framed with views that push visitors to gaze at the area overlooking the shrubs of Serra de Grandola and vast oceans with a glass of wine or two.

Having owned the property for nearly two decades, the clients have always desired a holiday home that would reflect their adoration for Aletenjo. Adding their love for travel, they sought a close friend and architect Manual Aires Mateus to design the project. The brief requested a demonstration of a reinterpretation of a classic holiday resort that would reflect on the founders’ principles in that the architecture would evoke “the authenticity of materials, the coexistence of aesthetics and functions”. This resulted in looking towards patios, an Arab influence pervasive in architectural projects for a timeless yet contemporary take.

House in Estrela, Lisbon, Portugal by Aires Mateus.

The sheer concrete facades of this house stand out amongst the slightly ramshackle homes that surround it, on a suburban street in Lisbon...

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Photo by Francisco Nogueira.

Stretching over 80 hectares (including a winery and a vineyard), Pa.te.os is a group of four-holiday houses constructed of concrete structures and walls. Each one appears as light and airy gable forms with the same cutouts for glazing. Light-coloured concrete and the intentional use of creating vertical textured grains allow the houses to blend well with the site covered in cork oak, pine trees and olive trees. Despite being similar, each accommodation is unique in plan and made to converse while standalone individually. Patios or indoor courtyards are incorporated into each space, however, still blend out to meld with the architecture of the pool and natural landscape.

Rustic yet clean in form and materiality, the same concrete texture is carried internally into each space. Off-white and beige fabric and upholstery are selected for the guests to purely focus on the external views. Creamy stone benches and geometric in form are used for the bathrooms, only use of the humble timber for wall panelling, flooring or joinery offers colour within.

Village by BOA: A Heritage Resort in Porto by Pablo Pita, Heim Balp Architekten & Bacana Studio.

In Porto is a neighbourhood that masquerades as a resort. Bairro do Silva is the sort of pace that straddles vernacular and voguish...

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Photo by Joao Guimaraes.

Externally, the sculptural form of each dwelling extends itself to become an open frame above. The use of light and shadow frames implied outdoor spaces, a subtle gesture to allow each house to communicate with each other. The stretching and pulling artistic in gesture cleverly minimise the need for the architecture to disrupt the land, rather allowing the structure to sit comfortably and respectfully within the topography of the site.

Like the simple but powerful purpose of a patio, the owners encourage visitors to be present and focus on what is being presented before them. Lack of technology and a healthy supply of books and enriching comfort foods inspire a recentering of oneself. Add to this a special fragrance to add to your scent diary, it wouldn’t hurt to simply put down our devices and appreciate the fauna that dances around us.

Aires Mateus' Own Workspace 'Atelier Cecílio de Sousa' in Lisbon, Portugal.

Organic modern furnishings, a monastic white spiral staircase and workstations temper the ornateness of the preserved historical rooms...

[Images courtesy of Manuel Aires Mateus. Photography by Francisco Nogueira & Joao Guimaraes.]