OODA nestles concrete home into sloping site in Portugal

A sunken concrete form designed to "embrace the irregular topography" of its sloping site defines Oeiras House, completed by Portuguese architecture studio OODA near Lisbon.

Located just outside the town of Oeiras after which it is named, the 350-square-metre home occupies a single-storey, U-shaped and partially sunken form that wraps a central pool and patio.

It was designed by OODA to adapt to the challenging characteristics of its site, which is surrounded by dense trees and bordered by a steep slope to the west, while also providing a series of secluded spaces where the client can feel connected to nature.

"The architecture adapts rather than asserts itself, embracing the irregular topography and preserving centuries-old trees, turning site constraints into defining features," OODA told Dezeen.

"The existing slope to the west, which posed a challenge by restricting natural light, became a key driver of the U-shaped design," it added.

"The design embraces a half-buried built solution that responds to this topography, ensuring optimal use of natural light and private outdoor spaces."

The material palette of Oeiras House is centred around two materials – dark wood panelling for the home's lower level and exposed board-marked concrete for its upper level.

Contained within this upper level are thick concrete beams that allow for large column-free spans, emphasised by wide areas of fully-glazed sliding doors that connect the living spaces to the home's patio.

The central living area is flanked by two wings, one to the north containing the bedrooms and one to the south containing the kitchen. These are dug slightly into the hillside and incorporate a skylit bathroom and entrance area.

"The semi-buried structure follows the natural slope, offering a sense of shelter while remaining open to light and views," said OODA.

"Meanwhile, the pool mirrors the landscape, subtly reinforcing the interplay between built and natural elements," it added.

"This careful balance of terrain, light, and materiality results in a space that is not only functional but deeply attuned to its environment."

The design of Oeiras House was led by OODA partner Julião Pinto Leite, who leads the Porto and Lisbon-based studio alongside Diogo Brito, Francisco Lencastre, João Jesus and Rodrigo Vilas-Boas. Other recent projects by the studio include a skyscraper in Tirana made up of a stack of 13 staggered cubes and another called Bond Tower that references "the grace of ballet".

Other concrete Portuguese houses on Dezeen include a brutalist hilltop home designed by Pedro Domingos Arquitectos to evoke an "ancient ruin" and the monolithic SV House that Spaceworkers punctured with irregularly placed windows.

The photography is by Fernando Guerra.

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