LIMIT Studio: The plot – rectangular and slender – is surrounded by tall buildings on the sides and back, which encloses it, and by the road on the front side.
Right from the start, the intention was to have a one-story house, which, due to its urban context, would always be surrounded by the refereed taller buildings. The interior and exterior privacy of the house was, therefore, one of the main challenges of this project.
A private outdoor space was also intended. However, instead of the common backyard, the approach was to provide a middleyard, in order to achieve some privacy in the outdoor space. The house was designed in a “C” shape, turning its back to the surroundings and facing an interior patio that opens only in an unobstructed area.
The roof reaches its highest point along the middleyard, closing it from any visual axes of the higher surrounding buildings, while stabilising a reference to the typical roofs of the region. In addition to the issue of privacy, which gave the project its first form, the sun exposure of the house and the patio itself was also taken into account. The patio is located exactly in the centre of the house, facing south-east.
In the rooms that have contact with the courtyard, windows are opened strategically. On the faces oriented to south, a large continuous glass panel is opened, which corresponds to the windows of the living room, kitchen and hallway, while on the façade facing north, smaller windows are opened.
The house is divided into two large areas: intimate space (bedrooms) and common space (living room and kitchen). On the south side, closest to the street, are the bedrooms. On the north side, in the back of the plot, are the living room and kitchen. This layout was chosen mainly so that the common spaces, although in the northern part of the plot, could open up to the interior of the patio with sunlight from the south.
In the union of the two large areas of the house (intimate and common), two shapes emerge: a corridor and a cylinder.
The corridor, skewed in relation to the orthogonality of the house, joins the entrance hall and the living room. The cylinder stands out from the general shape of the house, thus marking the moment of entry, with a high ceiling and a skylight over the door.
This space is divided by a cabinet detached from the cylindrical volume, which separates the entrance hall, with access to the living room, and an informal office area, connected to the bedroom corridor.
About the Office:
In architecture, innovation arises from the deconstruction of the discipline's limits for the development and construction of an idea.
About the Team:
Ricardo Acosta
Born in 1986 in Punto Fijo, Venezuela. He finishes his master's degree at Escola de Arquitectura da Universidade do Minho (EAUM) in 2013. He works, as a student, at the company Marti, in Zurich, in the field of construction.
He collaborates as an architect at the studio GABU, between 2014 and 2017, where he develops architectural projects dedicated to housing. In this work period, he follows the entire project process, from the initial stage of developing the idea with the client, to the final phase of construction and completion of the work.
Today, alongside architecture, he has been investing and developing the artistic practice of drawing. In 2017 he founds LIMIT STUDIO
Ivo Vaz Barbosa
Born in 1988 in Braga, Portugal. He finishes his master's degree at Escola de Arquitectura da Universidade do Minho (EAUM) in 2013. Still as a student he collaborates at the studio Imago - Cerejeira Fontes Arquitectos.
He collaborates with the studio MAO - Martins Architecure Office in 2013-2014; in 2015 completed the postgraduate Advanced Studies in Architectural Design at Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto (FAUP); works as a Researcher (b.i.) at EAUM, associated with the DeTech group of R&D Lab2PT, in 2016.
In 2017 he founds LIMIT STUDIO
LIMIT studio is an architecture studio with presence in Braga, Portugal, that presents itself as irreverent, creative and rigorous. The ''idea'' occupies, in our practice, a prominent place.
Our projects start from strong intentions, discussed and carved in the form of an idea that can guide the creative process. We seek efficiency, durability, elegance and beauty, which we guarantee through a work developed with great professionalism.
Tomé Capa
Born in 1989 in Braga, Portugal. He finishes his master's degree at Escola de Arquitectura da Universidade do Minho (EAUM) in 2013. During this period, he also studies, for a year, at Università di Roma Tre. He works as an assistant editor at the architecture magazine A.MAG in 2014; he collaborates with the atelier AM arquitectos, in Lisbon, in 2016-2017 and with the studio Carvalho Araújo, in São Paulo, in 2018.
In addition to his experiences in collaboration with other entities, he has been developing and focusing his personal work in different artistic areas, such as installation, performance, music, etc. In 2017 he founds LIMIT STUDIO
