Costa Nova do Prado, that slender ribbon of land where the Atlantic whispers against the Portuguese shore, conjures images of vibrant “palheiros.” These former fishermen’s storage buildings, now joyfully striped holiday homes, stand as iconic sentinels of the coastline. Their cheerful presence, however, often overshadows a quieter, yet equally compelling, architectural narrative – a traditional typology nestled between the boisterous palheiro and the sturdy gandaresan house of the rural interior. These unassuming dwellings, often built with locally sourced adobe bricks flecked with the remnants of ancient seashells, present a more understated façade to the world. Their forms are familiar, their decorative touches modest, allowing the rhythm of their roofs and the sweep of their eaves to take center stage.
It was within the embrace of this enduring vernacular tradition that the grandchildren of a dilapidated ruin sought to establish their permanent roots. Their inheritance, a silent witness to the ebb and flow of time in Costa Nova, stood at the corner of “Rua do Meio” – the Street in the Middle – a place where the presence of the ria and the sea is felt rather than seen. This unique location dictated a four-sided form for the new dwelling, the Clara House, conceived by M2 Senos Arquitectos. A hipped roof, punctuated by four discreet mansard windows, crowns the structure, lending it a formal complexity balanced by a deliberate symmetry and an interplay of equivalent façades.
Two of these faces, oriented west and north, address the public realm, while the eastern and southern elevations recede into the intimate network of alleys characteristic of the area. The eastern alley serves as a shared artery, providing access to neighboring homes. The southern alley, a slender 1.5-meter corridor, offers the sole private outdoor space, a quiet counterpoint to the more exposed street frontages.
Stepping directly from the Rua do Meio, one enters a small vestibule, a transitional space designed to gently introduce the main living areas. From here, the interconnected living and dining spaces unfold, leading seamlessly into the kitchen, which, in a thoughtful gesture, also connects back to the street. Occupying the full width of the ground floor, a suite with an en-suite bathroom enjoys a privileged connection to the narrow southern exterior space. Tucked beneath the staircase, two essential yet discreet spaces are found: a compact bathroom and a technical/laundry area, cleverly accessible from the outside.
Ascending to the loft, the two bedrooms and a shared bathroom nestle within the varied volumes created by the pitched roof, their structural integrity celebrated by exposed wooden beams. Each room is graced with a carefully positioned pilot window, each framing a distinct view of the surrounding landscape.
The initial intention was a respectful restoration of the original house, preserving its decorative geometric details around the openings, the adobe walls, the timber-framed windows, the tiled roof, and the defining eaves. The envisioned palette was the classic Costa Nova combination of white walls, yellow trim, and vibrant green lacquered window frames.
However, the construction process became a dialogue with the inherent qualities of the materials themselves. The raw beauty of the adobe and the honest texture of the wood began to assert their presence, leading to a pivotal decision: to embrace their natural state. This shift in approach resulted in a deliberate rawness, a material honesty that manifests in the earth-toned hue of the completed Clara House. This subtle palette renders the house simultaneously more abstract, allowing its form to speak more directly, yet also more grounded, deeply connected to the very soil from which it was built.
Clara House, therefore, stands as more than just a dwelling; it is a thoughtful interpretation of place, a contemporary response deeply rooted in the understated elegance of Costa Nova’s lesser-known vernacular architecture. It is a testament to the power of material honesty and the enduring beauty of simplicity, a quiet counterpoint to the vibrant stripes that define this unique coastal landscape.