João Paulo Loureiro Two Houses in Monção

This marvellous building that would be easily taken for any contemporary museum is, in fact, a dwelling house. More precisely, there are two houses united in one volume: one – for a client and the second – for his father. The author of the project is a Portuguese architect João Paulo Loureiro.

The most distinguishing feature of this house is probably the way how it interacts with the surroundings. The thing is that the plot is located on a frontier between Portugal and Spain in a woody and hilly region with breathtaking scenery. Utilizing the relief of the place, the new building excellently fits the surroundings so that, in most cases, the house looks like a part of the natural landscape. This visual effect is emphasized by using stone materials like concrete and granite.