Quinta Patino is a relatively small home for a family in Estoril, Portugal. Inside the grey perimeter walls are a series of courtyards, almost one for each room, that are either opened or closed to the garden and neighboring landscape by tall and heavy wooden doors. The vertical gardens create an obvious green aesthetic, but they also ensure the home’s air quality to be very healthy and pure.
Shutters on the windows are made of the same material. These can be closed for privacy or open to permit both natural light and ventilation. There are two levels, and the top, which overlooks a long rectangular pool that is flush with the green grounds and the relatively wild surroundings, is reached by a simple staircase. Lastly, rooftop solar collectors bring a bit of energy independence to the remote home, which we’d give at least one bottom tooth to live in.
Boxy homes are efficient to build, and they needn’t be boring as the Quinta Patino in Portugal clearly demonstrates. The 700 sqm home designed by FVArquitectos is a grey, rectangular volume infiltrated by a series of sneaky inner courtyards and towering leafy green walls. Combined with wooden doors and shutters and the occasional pane of glass, the vertical gardens give the contemporary house a surprisingly calm eco-ethos that is especially great for kids.
[2]
Tall leafy green walls completely liven up the Quinta Patino home in Portugal
[3]
The boxy volume disguises a series of inner courtyards
[4]
Wooden shutters open or close to permit daylighting or establish privacy
[5]
Many large trees surround the plot in Estoril
[6]
A long rectangular pool provides relief from the summer sun
[7]
The surrounding landscape is relatively wild, and the house frames wonderful views
[8]
[9]
The green walls create a healthy microclimate
[10]
Boxy can be boring, but this home definitely isn’t