Pemã Studio created a unique, modern architecture design in the urban residential area of Santo Tirso. The plot was enclosed by neighbors, and the pre-existing structure had little to no value from a landscape point of view. The design for the intervention was to move away from this typology with a massive block that detaches from the limits and mimics the land plot outline. By subtraction, voids were made to intuitively accommodate program between patios so there would be no direct relationship with exterior perimeter.
The house was designed with a balance of dense and closed fortress yet reinterprets the typical patio house looking for an oasis while still keeping an intimate relationship with the sky. Forte denotes mandatory privacy and the volumetric design captures light and ventilation in an unpretentious inspirational move towards Islamic culture.
An identity element of pre-existence was restored as a cohesion and framing element while reducing intervention impact on street as much as possible. Clients were looking for a flexible yet sensitive house that could surprise them, and they found it in Forte; light is manipulated matter that creates emotive moments which cannot be explained by words but felt instead. Architecture should never be about absurd functionalism or easy fashion; this is not the case at Forte.
Project Name: CasaForte , Forte House
Firm Name: Pema Studio
Collaborations: Daniel Carvalho
Architectural Photographer: Ivo Tavares Studio
