Meeting House
The house is designed in the historic center of Tondela and is a record of different time periods. A small warehouse is converted into a house, marking the moment of the contemporary intervention, while simultaneously perpetuating the scale and idea of the surrounding urban context.
On the existing building, a central void is created increasing the contact perimeter with the outside. The patio that is created receives light and shade, offers a new private and protected atmosphere, a new relationship between interior and exterior, a continuous space that spread through the social areas of the house. Being the heart of the house, it transports the exterior square to the interior allowing, when desired, a permeability with it.
Street, patio and terrace. The latter being an extension of the house that appears on a different level appropriating the roof and which is related to a more distant landscape.
Public and private, sociability and intimacy, encounter and retreat. This is a house that lives from these dichotomies. A shared and collective space that supports the experience of family and friends. A comfortable and safe refugee that embraces the inner encounter from the understanding of one’s identity, convictions and thoughts.
Project Info:
Architects: WAATAA_we are all together around architecture
Location: Tondela, Portugal
Area: 1819 ft²
Project Year: 2020
Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Finsa, Recer, Sanindusa, ASM Taps, Aldeco, Graphisoft SE, HIDROBOX, Incoveca


























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
