CC House is a project by Portuguese studio Inception Architects Studio, designed with exceptional attention to the landscape. The single-storey house was built on a vast two-hectare plot in the Leiria region, where the architecture was subordinated to the natural terrain. The design is based on the belief that interference with space can be gentle and almost imperceptible. Instead of a clear mark of its existence, there is a calm presence, and the house functions as a refuge immersed in the surrounding nature.
CC House – a composition based on topography
Quinta dos Carvalhos consists of four separate buildings: a garage, a barn, Bell House and Black Bird House. Their layout is directly influenced by the terrain, which determined the logic of the entire composition. The buildings are set on natural terraces and designed as single-storey structures, which limits their visibility from a distance. Concrete, wood and zinc give the whole a coherent, economical expression that brings out the qualities of the place rather than obscuring them.
A single-storey house subordinated to nature
The investment took eight years to complete and was carried out with great consistency at every stage of the work. The long implementation period allowed for the gradual adaptation of individual solutions to the terrain and changing observations of the landscape. Preserving the existing greenery was treated as a priority. The designers adapted the buildings to the mature trees, avoiding radical transformations of the land. The location of the buildings and the layout of the glazing were planned to ensure access to daylight and natural air flow, allowing for comfortable functioning in the local climatic conditions.
The investor’s return to childhood
The investor is a person connected with this region since childhood, currently living and working in Lisbon, where he runs a law firm. The decision to build his home in his native region had a clear personal and emotional dimension. The design of the house became a way for the man to reconnect with the landscape he knew from his younger years. The chosen location was intended to promote tranquillity and daily contact with nature, away from the intense pace of city life in the capital.
A single-storey house and challenges
An extremely important element of the design was the dense vegetation, dominated by cork and holm oaks. Their presence influenced not only the layout of the buildings, but also the technical solutions. In autumn and winter, falling leaves accumulate on the ground and roofs. The response to this phenomenon required the use of effective drainage and self-cleaning measures.
The roof in the CC House design
The CC House features sloping roofs covered with zinc sheet metal, chosen for its durability and resistance to weather conditions. Their form allows for the natural removal of leaves by wind and rainfall. The material directs them directly to the ground, from where they can be efficiently removed during garden maintenance work. This treatment promotes the durability of the structure and has a positive effect on the cohesion of individual objects with the surrounding greenery.
Art as a conscious counterpoint
The subdued colours of the buildings are complemented by selected artistic objects, which serve as distinct accents in the space of the property. Their presence breaks the visual restraint of the architecture and introduces a personal dimension to the narrative of the CC House project. Some of them have been collected by the investor over the years, while others have been specially selected for this project. Among them, the Bull & Stein apple sculpture by Bruno Jorge Monteiro e Silva and Lisa Pappon, located at the Pool House, stands out. The intense colours of the object introduce a clear visual accent.
A single-storey house in dialogue with the landscape
CC House (also known as Quinta dos Carvalhos) functions as a complex of buildings subordinate to the place where they were built. Each design decision was based on an analysis of natural conditions and long-term observation of the surroundings. The design is based on respect for its conditions. The buildings do not compete with the landscape, but create a relationship with it in which the architecture becomes part of a larger whole.
Design: Inception ArchitectsStudio
Photographs: Ivo TavaresStudio
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