Treetop House

This house was designed around the premise that, in such a special place, architecture could not ever compete or obstruct the nature around it. To fulfill that goal, the building was placed to be as close as possible to the century-old oaks and chestnuts without touching them. The house is reached from above and placed in a sharp slope; this combination of factors places the eye level of the habitants in line with the top of the trees, in perpetually shifting colors and movement motivated by the wind.

Located in north of Portugal, where vegetation is both dense and ever changing, this house aims at getting better connected to the nature; in the short period of construction, vines start to take control and the higher branches are already touching the glass: the fusion has started.

From the inside that connection is obvious: the exterior walls are all transparent and it is the furniture that defines the living spaces among in open floor plan. Through the different spaces, it is always possible to see the vegetation outside.

João Marques Franco

Primeiro Plano Audiovisual