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Box XL Houses

Guimarães, Portugal

services

Architecture


Construction

state

Completed

Built up area

4658m2

year

2019

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The Box XL Houses are made up of seven residences that are variably arranged on the site, creating different relationships with it. The aim was to achieve a balanced relationship between the ‘built’ and the ‘natural’, between the ‘full’ and the ‘empty’, so that these two antagonistic realities would produce a peaceful and continuous dialogue, complementing each other. The option adapted in the design and division of the plots was carried out in such a way as to allow the creation of voids between the built environment, thereby achieving visual permeability for the landscape.

The residences are practically all developed on the first floor, where the spaces appear naturally, adapting the programme in a sequential way, with the lower level being used for the garage, entrance area and stairwells, which are accessed via a private access created for the subdivision.

The clarity and pragmatic approach to the design of the house is also reflected in the construction options and the materiality of the work. The choice of materials that make up the interior space was studied in such a way as to emphasise the fluidity of the space, highlighting the natural and successive continuity of its uses. On the outside, a succession of pure volumes with raw materials is used, contrasting with the green spaces and natural elements belonging to the complex. From this perspective, the Box XL Houses establish a relationship of perfect harmony with their surroundings.