Fontinha House | Carlos Castanheira Architects

Fontinha – Porto

I know the city of Porto well. Or so I thought.
I went into the neighbourhood of Fontinha, right in the
centre of Porto and I entered a small demesne with a
rural character, like somewhere in the countryside, but
protected by tall walls.
The Parent’s house was already there. With a tower that
allowed one to leave the demesne to look out over the
entire city of Porto, all the way to Foz, and along the
Atlantic coastline.
In terms of agriculture, it had everything; animals,
vegetables, fruit and even a tiny production of,
registered, Vinho Verde. Unique in Porto.
I got to know a little more about Porto. Something
unique.
So unique, that someone had even thought about
giving protected status to the cabbages, the peach
tree, and the turnips. Trivial digressions.
The intention was to add a small house at the end of
the garden. In timber.
During the visit, I was warned that one meter below the
top soil, there would be granite.
The hard granite that characterises the City.
Taking into consideration the required distances from
boundaries, the House stands above the ground so as
not to disturb the substrata, too much.
On a concrete plinth, a timber structure was laid, in two
U’s, together giving the house the form of a H.
The front U, to the South, accommodates the social
areas of the house: Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room.
The U to the rear, to the North, accommodates the
three Bedrooms.

At the centre are the Entrance Hall and a small
mezzanine level Study.
In the small basement there is the, essential, cellar, and
service areas complete the brief.
Each space is characterised by its wooden ceiling,
generating a play of volumes and roofs, which although
similar, are different in form and dimension.
At the front, two canopied areas allow you to be
outside while still inside.
Inside, the timber structure is also a surface finish and a
lining.
Outside, everything is clad in copper, while leaving
visible some of the timber structure, the window frames,
and the glass which both separates and connects the
inside and the outside.
The cabbages, peach tree and turnips are still there,
but now there also is a garden, because everything
changes, with the need to live. To live better and in
harmony.
We enter the Casa da Fontinha and we have left Porto.
Which is only possible with the help of some things and
the trampling of others.

Carlos Castanheira

Architect:

Carlos Castanheira

Office in Portugal:

CC&CB, Architects, Lda.

Project Coordinator:

Diana Vasconcelos

Project Team:

Erika Musci

Fernanda Sá

Inês Brito

3D Visualisation:

Germano Vieira

Sara Noronha

Engineering:

Structure:

Paulo Fildalgo

HDP – Gabinete de Serviços e Projectos, Lda.

Hydraulic:

Pedro Nunes

Diâmetro e Cálculo – Engenharia, Lda.

HVAC Engineering:

Ana Guimarães

Pedro Coelho Lima – Coelho Lima Engenharia, Lda.

General constrution:

Victor Gonçalves – Guilhade, Engenharia e Construção, Lda.

Carpentry:

Valentim Soares

Henriques e Rodrigues, Lda.

Construction Area:

286 m2

Photography:

Fernando Guerra