The Argivai House, in Póvoa de Varzim, is located on the outskirts of the city, an area with different housing types, some crop fields, and small warehouses.
Architecture: Raulino Silva Architect
Project Date: 2016/2017
Date of Construction: 2017/2019
Building area: 315 m2
Location: Argivai, Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
Photographs: João Morgado
The lot has an irregular shape, is very narrow next to the street, and allows the construction of two floors, without providing any annex or basement. The covered area, on the side of the house, protects a car from the rain and also the access to the main entrance of this house.
The interior organization defines the circulation and service spaces (bathrooms and laundry room) in the central area of the house, leaving larger spaces (living room, kitchen, and bedrooms) on the main facades.
On the lower floor, facing the street, we have the kitchen that opens to the West. In the posterior zone, we have the dining room and the living room that communicate with the terrace, where there is a porch roof to create shadow and to bridge the gable wall of the neighbor building (when the construction began, the neighbor building did not exist yet). In the central zone, we have the stairs, a small bathroom and the laundry room with access by the kitchen.
Upstairs, in the posterior zone, we have two rooms with a balcony and a bathroom with a patio in the center. On the main facade with a balcony, we have the suite, with the larger bedroom and a bathroom illuminated by a skylight.
Outside of the house, the facade, the walls, and the gates are all white, to better define the shade. Inside of the house, we also have the white on the walls, the ceilings, the lacquered carpentry, the Orion (countertops and washbasins) and the ceramic wall, allowing the floating floor exalt its design.
