Contemporary cube house in Portugal

Located in Oporto, Portugal, this house has a compact and minimalist design, both inside and out. It was a project developed by ARQX Architects and it was built in 2011. The building covers a surface of 150.0 square meters and sits on a 435.35 square meter site. The size and broken shape of the site posed serious problems and dictated the design of the house.

The architects were forced to think out of the box and to try to change and adapt the design of the house to the conditions on the site. This made them create a building that is larger to the front and narrowed to the back courtyard and that follows the contour of the land. Despite the irregular shape of the house, it has a compact look. The exterior of the building has a rather austere look. It’s an impression also given by the stone that covers the exterior.

The interior of the house is also minimalist, although a little more complex. The rooms were divided according to their functionality. Their shapes also differ. The bedrooms, the living room, the dining area and the kitchen and the most frequented spaces and they feature regular shapes. Other areas such as the halls, the bathrooms and the storage spaces are dynamic areas and were designed as complementary zones in between the other rooms. These areas also have different decors based on contrasts.{found on archdaily}.