Casa de Hóspedes is located in the west of Coimbra, on a hillside of dense vegetation with large trees. The main house, built in the 90’s, faces south, in a set of fragmented volumes with sloped roofs.
© Hugo Santos Silva
Next to the pool, an annex was later built for the technical area, outdoor kitchen and kennel, a programthat covered an extensive area of soil. The clients wanted to re-think this area and incorporate a small guesthouse.
© Hugo Santos Silva
The proposal sought to re-naturalize the soil, favoring the blend of the guest house with vegetation that, in the future, will provide greater privacy to both houses. The different micro-volumes that compose the guest house are merged in a continuous interior space, promoting different connections with the surroundings. The simplicity of the design is also reflected in the chosen materials – pine wood, concrete and lime.
Project Info
Architects: Arriba
Country: Portugal, Coimbra
Area: 699 ft²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Hugo Santos Silva
Project Team: Ana Galrão, Filipe Ferreira, José Rocha, Miguel Negrão, Raffaella Pudda
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial