Architect Guilherme Machado Vaz has completed the geometric House in Afife, in Portugal, which appears as a solid volume when its shutters are closed.
The white house is modelled on the "regular and compact" houses that are dotted throughout the rural parish in the north of the country.
However, to prevent it from being dominated by an adjacent chapel, Machado Vaz added shutters to its exterior, which can conceal the windows and transform it into an "abstract sculpture".

"The chapel stands on a base of granite walls, and it imposes itself in that area. Its presence had an influence on the project, particularly as regards the design of the volume," explained the Portuguese architect.
"The house sought not to disturb the harmony of this religious space, but at the same time it did not want to be submissive to its presence."
Opening the shutters forms an entirely different facade for the house, revealing large windows with dark wooden frames.
On the south elevation, the shutters are painted gold to echo religious triptych paintings ? a type of artwork divided into three carved panels that are hinged together.

The interiors of the house are split over a series of half floors, inspired by Austrian and Czech architect Adolf Loos' Raumplan concept.
Developed in the 1920s, the concept offers an alternative to traditional stacked floor levels, by dividing a house's interior into interconnected multi-level spaces arranged on the basis o...