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18 Extrastudio
Casa Plaj . Lourinhã
A holiday house in Lourinhã, Portugal, set lightly on a steep seaside plot, with a cruciform podium, terraces, skylights, and a long swimming pool among retained pine trees.
Casa Plaj . Lourinhã
Our clients were on a trip through Portugal when they stumbled upon a small piece of land for sale by the sea, close to a village situated about one hour north of Lisbon. Lourinhã is known as the country’s center for fruit production, and for its proximity to Ericeira and Peniche, two of the world’s best surfing spots.ssss
Our clients were on a trip through Portugal when they stumbled upon a small piece of land for sale by the sea, close to a village situated about one hour north of Lisbon.
Key Points
- The clients found a small piece of land for sale by the sea while traveling through Portugal.
- The land is close to a village about one hour north of Lisbon.
- Lourinhã is known as Portugal’s center for fruit production.
- Lourinhã is also near Ericeira and Peniche, which are described as two of the world’s best surfing spots.
Extrastudio . photos: © Clemens Poloczek . © José Pedro Marques -model-
The plot, a steep, narrow strip of land in the heart of the countryside, is a five-minute walk from the beach, and offers panoramic views over the sea, the valley, and the village in the distance.
Plot and Views
A steep, narrow plot in the countryside is five minutes from the beach and has panoramic views over the sea, the valley, and a village in the distance.
Lourinhã has never been a wealthy area; buildings are modest and simple, and sit naturally in the landscape, in a way that has somehow been forgotten by buildings from recent decades.
Free from daily obligations, a holiday house allows a certain level of freedom and experimentation. It should be generous, informal, physically present, im-posing its own time and pace.
We wanted to make a radically simple form for this house, combining ele-ments used in historic local buildings in a way that is only possible in the pre-sent.
The relationship with topography was fundamental: the house touches the ground as lightly as possible, allowing the existing terrain to flow below. Four load-bearing walls support a cruciform podium, onto which the house sits, hovering over the land. The platform touches the sloping ground once only to allow entry, while all other sides accommodate terraces that float in the air in all directions and that extend interior space to the outside, giving each room its own private refuge.
The relationship with the land was essential. The house touches the ground as lightly as possible, so the existing terrain can continue underneath it. Four load-bearing walls support a cross-shaped podium, and the house sits on top of that podium, seeming to hover above the land. The platform meets the sloping ground only once, to provide an entrance. On all the other sides, there are terraces that seem to float in the air in every direction. These terraces extend the interior space outdoors and give each room its own private retreat.
A void is cut from the solid form of the house to make an open-air courtyard entrance, enclosed by a large, sliding gate. Organised on one level, kitchen, din-ing, and living share a generous space, which opens symmetrically to north, east, and west, while the three bedrooms face south.
يُقتطع فراغ من الكتلة الصلبة للمنزل ليشكّل مدخل فناء في الهواء الطلق، محاطًا ببوابة منزلقة كبيرة. ومنظَّم على مستوى واحد، تتشارك المطبخ ومنطقة الطعام والمعيشة مساحة رحبة، تنفتح بتناظر نحو الشمال والشرق والغرب، بينما تواجه غرف النوم الثلاث الجنوب.
Restricted to a maximum enclosed area of 120m2, the interior compensates for the small footprint by taking full advantage of the volume’s height, creating an unexpected sense of grandeur and scale. A large skylight reinforces this im-pression in the living room, while elsewhere a series of oculi, designed precise-ly within the structure’s geometry using a 3D model, allow direct light from the skylight to cut through the house, reaching its darkest areas. For four months of the year, a beam of light illuminates each room before sunset, reaching peak intensity at the summer and winter solstices.
Simple architectural devices enable and encourage flexibility and informality. The windows recede completely into the walls, transforming the house into a large alfresco space, extending the indoors outdoors and allowing moments like bathing to become open-air experiences.
Close dialogue between the clients and builder during construction allowed time, chance and workers’ knowledge to leave their marks on the house. Grey plastered walls were left bare, making a monochrome interior. New portholes and niches were added where possible, a steel door in the stairwell was re-placed with red glass, Iranian silver travertine and blueish-green marble were chosen to match the interior walls, and the exterior, intended to be grey, finally gained colour.
Outside, a long swimming-pool stands among wild pine trees, parallel to the sea. The landscape was barely touched. All existing trees were retained and a grid of fruit trees was planted on the slopes, to preserve the agricultural char-acter of the surroundings.
Our clients invited us to stay at the house after its completion. The only sounds in the air were the waves breaking onto the shore and voices from the far side of the valley. At night, birds we did not know warbled, and croaking frogs from a nearby creek kept us company.
Location: Lourinhã, Portugal
Program: Single family house, 120 m2
Client: private
Year: 2020-2025
Team: João Caldeira Ferrão, João Costa Ribeiro, Sónia Oliveira, Rita Rodrigues, Andreia Simões, Marta Oliveira, Filipa Almeida, Mariana Brandão
Landscape architecture: Oficina dos Jardins – Sónia Caldeira, Inês Bordado
Structural Engineering: Pedro Viegas
Plumbing Engineerin: Motoliveira – Sandra Mota
Electrical, Hvac, Building physics, Acoustics: Blueorizon
Quantity Surveyor: Rui Folgado
General contractor: Vassalo & Sousa Lda
Photography: Clemens Poloczek
Model photos: José Pedro Marques
Category: 2026,architecture
Design concept
A radically simple house form combines historic local building elements with a cruciform podium that lifts the house lightly above the sloping ground.
Materials and finishes
Grey plastered walls, red glass in the stairwell, Iranian silver travertine, and blueish-green marble shape the interior, while the exterior ultimately gained colour.
Site strategy
The landscape is kept largely intact: existing trees were retained, a grid of fruit trees was planted, and the pool is set parallel to the sea among wild pine trees.
