One of the reasons I fell in love with this house is not just the bold design and the wonderfully hidden spaces that can be utilized while overlooking the breathtaking island, it’s the fact that there is a story behind the construction of this house which lasted almost a decade. According to the NYTimes, Pedro Correia and his wife, Graça who live on the largest of nine volcanic islands in the Azorean archipelago. They decided after the family started growing to build their 3,767-square-foot dream house and commissioned their architect friend Bernardo Rodrigues founder of Bernardo Rodrigues Arquitecto in Porto, Portugal.
The project was slowed by both a lengthy delay in receiving materials from Lisbon and the paucity of skilled laborers on the island. It took one year to build and assemble the steel framing for the doors and windows, and another two years to pour concrete and install flooring and finishes in the home. The exterior walls were painted Siena red and pewter. Inside, the walls were given hues of either chestnut brown or olive green. The total cost of construction was just over $500,000. Mr. Correia and wife and two daughters, Maria, 13, and MaFalda, 9, moved into the three-bedroom, two story home in early 2010.
Mrs. Correia said their dream home was more challenging and expensive than they had expected. But as she put it, “that’s the price you pay to have the best home.”
Check the beautiful photos of this project below.
About Bernardo Rodrigues Arquitecto
After completing his architectural masters program in 1999 at Columbia University in New York, professional training in London in 1996 and degree at FAUP, Oporto School of Architecture, started his own practice in Porto in 2001.
His work, deeply concerned with the necessity of innovation and the possibilities of technology, has been the subject of national and international attention, being invited to the exhibit, publish, lecture and teach, from Tokyo to London to New York.
His approach engages with the emergent values of the XXI century, enhancing the nature of the planet and the diverse set of human conditions.
Info and photos from NYTimes and Architizer