Portuguese architect Tiago Sousa has renovated the remains of a traditional house in the village of Romarigães by inserting a brick volume into an existing stone shell.
Called Box, the new two-bedroom house in Portugal does not extend beyond the footprint of the original building.
The new red-brick volume extends above old stone walls
Instead, openings, terraces and balconies slot into the old stone walls.
"The existing volume has a singular configuration, rigid in shape and rudely built," explained Tiago Sousa.
A new red-brick volume slots into this contrasting stone envelope, with a new addition that peeks above the original roofline.
The volume peers above its gabled roofline
"The intention was to cause contradicting feelings to the observer," continued the architect. "It explores the balance and tension between the existing and the proposed form." On the ground floor are the social spaces ? a kitchen and dining space to the north and a living room to the south.
Terraces for the upstairs bedrooms are defined by the original roofline
The living room opens out onto a raised patio via a set of sliding doors and is sheltered from the sun by a concrete canopy.
A spiral staircase in concrete and wood leads to the first floor, where two bedrooms sit on either side of a central bathroom.

"These stairs present themselves as an ornamental element, with its fluid and curvilinear design," said the architect.
"It is a sculptural piece in...