SPACE January 2026 (No. 698)
Three levels with different spatial systems: a sharp cut in the landscape, a grid of rooms, and a glass box.
The formidable slope is carved out to accommodate a house. The project stands as a stack of three levels—each is a different spatial system. The basement is a tall room with a diagonal wall and a curved ceiling that culminates in one acute corner—the space is too grand for a mere garage. The level above, in contrast, adheres to a rigorously defined set of geometric rules. The square perimeter is divided into sixteen equal parts, resulting in an almost boring yet ordered strict sequence of rooms housing all the secondary programmes on the middle level. The living room on top of the house is open to all four sides, offering views to the city, river and the ocean.
©Giulietta Margot
Here, a single curved wall and two concrete columns with pairs of diagonal braces rise to support the roof, subtly disrupting the character of the tall open space. The naked, forest-like structure brings potential chaos to this otherwise familiar residential space. Vertical circulation between the three levels is not articulated but disguised. Only a small part of the building’s volume appears above the slope and presents itself as a transparent glass box. A unified grid of windows is adorned with a metal hat giving a bit of shade to the living area beneath. The concrete structure, steady and unyielding, peeks through the translucent glass surface.
The project is both austere and excessive, strict and playful, light and heavy. It’s a marriage of the long diagonal line, the precise grid, the gentle quarter of a circle, and a heavy pair of concrete columns.
©Giulietta Margot
You can see more information on the SPACE No. January (2026).
Architect
fala (Filipe Magalhães, Ana Luisa Soares, Ahm
Design team
Ana Lima, Joana Sendas, João Carlos Lopes
Location
Gaia, Portugal
Programme
single house
Site area
1,000m²
Gross floor area
500m²
Parking
3
Height
13m
Building to land ratio
15%
Structure
RC
Exterior finishing
marble cladding, aluminium window, metal cap
Interior finishing
plastered wall, wood and terrazzo floor, exposed c
Structural engineer
Marcio Pimenta
Construction
Civiflanco Lda
Design period
2021 – 2025
Construction period
2023 – 2025
Cost
650,000 EUR
Filipe Magalhães
Filipe Magalhães, born in Porto, Portugal, in 1987, graduated from the University of Porto (FAUP), including an exchange year in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He completed his PhD in Architecture at the same institution. He has collaborated with Harry Gugger in Basel and with SANAA in Tokyo, and has served as a Guest Professor at EPFL Lausanne. He has been a Partner at fala since 2013.
Ana Luisa Soares
Ana Luisa Soares, born in Marco de Canaveses, Portugal, in 1988, graduated from the University of Porto, including an exchange year at the University of Tokyo. She has collaborated with Harry Gugger in Basel and with Ito Toyo in Tokyo, has served as a Guest Professor at EPFL Lausanne and HEAD Genève, and is currently a PhD researcher at University of Porto. She has been a Partner at fala since 2013.
Ahmed Belkhodja
Ahmed Belkhodja, born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1990, graduated from EPFL Lausanne and ETH Zurich. He completed his PhD at the University of Porto. He has collaborated with Obra Architects in New York, Harry Gugger in Basel, and Atelier Bow-Wow in Tokyo, and has served as a Guest Professor at EPFL Lausanne, HEAD Genève, and ENSA Paris-Est. He has been a Partner at fala since 2014.
Lera Samovich
Lera Samovich, born in Novokuznetsk, Russia, in 1991, graduated from the Moscow School of Architecture and completed her PhD at the University of Porto. She has collaborated with Bureau Alexander Brodsky and ASSE Architects in Moscow, has served as a Guest Professor at EPFL Lausanne, and has worked at fala since 2014, becoming a Partner in 2021.
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