Escape Home

The ambition for this home was to create a self-sufficient rural escape that, while fully immersed in its local surroundings, is also able to exist as a self-sufficient and self-sustaining architectural entity. The project is sited in western Portugal, in a relatively isolated and secluded location. This placement resulted in the requirement to investigate means of self-powering the home, and of providing as many amenities as possible to allow for living on one’s own. As well as generating energy from the windy and sunny site, the project also takes advantage of the steep incline down from the main access road, concealing the living spaces within the landscape, and channelling water from the mountainside into an irrigation chamber, which in turn feeds an on-site kitchen garden.

All images are by Situário.

Client: Private
Location: Western Portugal
Budget: Private
Phase: Conceptual Design
Date: 2020