Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,640
I think it's time, Caroline, to go and see how the other half live.
2
00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:06,240
Talk about welcome to my humble abode.
3
00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:09,120
Cor! That is a whole lot of house.
4
00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,280
He's Piers Taylor, an award-winning architect.
5
00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,360
I mean, the depth of this wall, it's four foot thick.
6
00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,160
After you, my lord.
7
00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:22,960
And she's Caroline Quentin -
8
00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,480
acclaimed actress and passionate property developer.
9
00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:32,200
This house has the perfect ratio of bedrooms to swimming pools.
10
00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:37,040
We've been given the keys to some of the most incredible houses in the world.
11
00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,320
If we were left alone here for any amount of time,
12
00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:41,160
- I have a feeling...
- We would ruin this house.
13
00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:42,640
THEY LAUGH
14
00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:44,720
To discover the design innovation,
15
00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:50,760
passion and endurance needed to transform architectural vision into an extraordinary home.
16
00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,320
It's so glamorous, Piers.
17
00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,200
We're travelling the globe.
18
00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:57,640
Ho-ho!
19
00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:01,520
Meeting architects and owners to explore how their daring homes respond
20
00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,520
uniquely to local landscape, climate and culture.
21
00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,840
I think this is probably the greatest house I've ever been in.
22
00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:13,120
Whether it's battling the elements to construct a dream home on dramatic
23
00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,120
Scandinavian terrain...
24
00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:18,120
The architect was nervous that things would go wrong.
25
00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,080
They couldn't bear to look at it.
26
00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,360
Pushing the boundaries of European experimentation...
27
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,520
- I think that's it.
- I think it is.
28
00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,520
When I looked at the proposal, at the beginning, I was almost shocked.
29
00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:33,360
Celebrating craftsmanship and beauty in Asia...
30
00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:38,920
They take away the extraneous, and they leave you with what is beautiful.
31
00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,040
Or going all out for glamour in America.
32
00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,320
You just do what you do best, is to create a masterpiece.
33
00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:48,920
- AMERICAN ACCENT:
- Piers! Is this too Miami?
34
00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,040
We're in Portugal on the southwestern edge of Europe,
35
00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,960
a country of stunning landscapes, and a wild, rugged, Atlantic coastline.
36
00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:08,600
Have you been to Portugal before?
37
00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,160
- I've never been to Portugal before.
- It's beautiful.
38
00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,160
I'm fascinated to discover more about Portugal.
39
00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:21,160
I've heard that there is real design ambition here and an exhibitionism
40
00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:22,960
below the surface.
41
00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:24,640
They're beautiful little settlements.
42
00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:27,200
I mean, I love the modesty of them all, you know?
43
00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,840
- Nothing has been designed to be looked AT, has it?
- No.
44
00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:35,160
We're hitting the road to find Portugal's hidden architectural treasures.
45
00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,520
Risking life and limb...
46
00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:40,360
- It's opening!
- Oh!
47
00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:41,480
CAROLINE LAUGHS
48
00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,800
..exploring some of Portugal's most exciting homes.
49
00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:49,560
It works for a space, and it leads you to what must be the main event,
50
00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:51,440
this extraordinary view.
51
00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,760
- VOICEOVER:
- Where architects have been let loose...
52
00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,680
One, two, three... BOTH: Go! First one to touch the end!
53
00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:58,960
No!
54
00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:03,480
- VOICEOVER:
- ..to create phenomenal properties that respond sympathetically to their setting.
55
00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,840
This is, without doubt,
56
00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,680
one of the biggest privileges of my life, to be in a house like this.
57
00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,200
We're starting in a beautiful and windswept region west of Lisbon known as
58
00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:19,680
the Portuguese Riviera.
59
00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,560
And tucked away somewhere in this exclusive seaside neighbourhood
60
00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:29,840
is a discreet and beautiful modern home.
61
00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:32,880
Have you got the address there?
62
00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,120
Yeah, I think it says it's on the left somewhere.
63
00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:36,160
- It says we're here.
- Oh.
64
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:40,720
That's not at all what I expected.
65
00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,120
Er, it's not that one, Caroline, I think it's this one.
66
00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,400
Oh, yeah. That makes sense.
67
00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,000
VOICEOVER: I like that, from the street, this house gives little away.
68
00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:00,080
But, beyond the drawbridge, there is a complex and sophisticated three-dimensional puzzle.
69
00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,760
First, we need to work out how to get in.
70
00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:03,800
Have you got the key?
71
00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:06,440
Oh, here it is, sorry, sorry.
72
00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,920
OK, oh, OK. So, it's really... Hang on. Erm...
73
00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,160
CAROLINE LAUGHS
74
00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,360
That's very chic, isn't it?
75
00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:20,520
A moving hedge.
76
00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,480
- What are you doing?!
- Sorry!
- Caroline.
- I'm sorry, I pressed the wrong button.
77
00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,280
- I don't know what, I don't know!
- I could have been squashed like a bug in there!
- Sorry!
78
00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:33,800
- Mine's opened.
- Everything's opening now.
79
00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,520
Oh! I didn't know I'd done that!
80
00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:40,440
I think if you're going to press a button now, and this is going to come out like a drawbridge, isn't
81
00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,360
- it, and throw me off the top.
- Yeah.
82
00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,000
Caroline Quentin in charge of a remote control - that is not a good thing.
83
00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:47,720
CAROLINE LAUGHS
84
00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:49,400
It's very tactile.
85
00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:50,840
Very beautiful.
86
00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:52,120
And very grand.
87
00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:02,160
This stunning family villa is a masterclass in understated beauty.
88
00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:06,560
Light and shade dance bewitchingly through the minimalist, stylish interior.
89
00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,680
The architects have created a kind of 21st-century castle with walls of
90
00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,640
concrete, glass and timber which all move at the touch of a button.
91
00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,360
The moving walls mean that this is a house that works with the landscape
92
00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:24,200
as well as the highly changeable weather.
93
00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:34,400
It's eight foot wide and eight foot high and I can operate it with a single finger.
94
00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,520
Of course, a house like this wouldn't have a front door with a
95
00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:39,760
conventional, you know, latch, etc.
96
00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:46,480
And at first glance, it's difficult to tell what's inside and what's outside.
97
00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,680
There's a garden inside this house.
98
00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:56,760
And there is also...
99
00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,240
the most marvellous car downstairs, that I'm going to have to show you.
100
00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:02,680
- Can I go now? Can I have a look?
- No, not immediately.
- Oh.
101
00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:06,400
Gosh, this is good.
102
00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:07,840
Oh.
103
00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,480
It's a breathtaking room.
104
00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,680
I've just seen a golf buggy go past. That's hilarious!
105
00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,840
It's got the most amazing view in the world and then there's
106
00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:26,720
a load of people with sun visors on, zooming past!
107
00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:31,240
Because Portugal is one of the golf capitals of the world.
108
00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,720
Why would you build what is clearly one of the most beautiful houses in
109
00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,600
the world on the seventh tee or whatever?
110
00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:39,720
Because I guess they're incredibly keen golfers.
111
00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,400
That whole wall opens up, I think,
112
00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,360
which means that you can swing your bat, you could kick off from here, couldn't you?
113
00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,400
- You could... Kick off? Bless you.
- What do you do?
114
00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:50,600
I think they tee off.
115
00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,640
And again, look, there, you could just open this up.
116
00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,320
And then you've got a swimming pool IN your sitting room.
117
00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,160
But this house has many other interesting surprises.
118
00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:03,720
Oh...
119
00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:05,320
This is the room, isn't it?
120
00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:07,160
So, that's the second swimming pool.
121
00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:09,480
That's the second swimming pool on the roof.
122
00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:17,040
The courtyard is designed to keep out the strong winds that come in from the Atlantic,
123
00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:21,920
but it's also where the combination of light and water is used in a very architectural way.
124
00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,360
It's a two-pool house.
125
00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:31,000
That's my dream house, a two-pool house.
126
00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,120
Actually, a single-pool house is my dream house,
127
00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,520
so a two-pool house is just...
128
00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,200
It's unimaginably marvellous.
129
00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:43,640
It's so glamorous, Piers, isn't it?
130
00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,600
It's lovely, but it also is a very sensible way of making a space in a hot climate
131
00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,920
because, in summer, you can cross-vent all of this and use it,
132
00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:55,400
you're in the shade, but, in winter, you can use this to have lunch, to hang around. It's great!
133
00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:01,080
Inside Wall House's heavy exterior shell is a family home.
134
00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:07,200
Above a basement with guest bedrooms and garage and a recreation room
135
00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:08,960
are the main living spaces.
136
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,120
An open-plan kitchen and sitting room are arranged around
137
00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:13,840
the enclosed courtyard and pool.
138
00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:18,880
Above are three family bedrooms,
139
00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:24,160
bathrooms and a series of balconies all overlooking a transparent swimming pool.
140
00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,320
This creates a canopy for the courtyard below,
141
00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,480
providing a beautiful quality of light.
142
00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:37,200
And the light from the pool is beautiful coming through, or the shade, I guess.
143
00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,520
Dappled over your dining area.
144
00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,840
It's a really usable, contained courtyard in the middle of a house,
145
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,600
and this house has lots of glamour, lots of style.
146
00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,760
And this pine is beautiful. This is really good quality.
147
00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:53,200
It's very wide, very beautiful timber,
148
00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,560
That's carefully selected. I mean, there's no knots, you know, it's lovely stuff.
149
00:08:56,560 --> 00:09:00,560
And, actually, as a palette of materials here, you know, blue sky, grey concrete,
150
00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:04,160
blue pool, grey timber, it's a really good palette, isn't it?
151
00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:06,000
I love it. I absolutely love it.
152
00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,360
It looks like you can open these up,
153
00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:17,440
and when it's a hot day just really take advantage of that wonderful breeze.
154
00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:21,120
Why don't you press that button, Caroline?
155
00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,000
- Which button?
- Just on the wall there.
156
00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:28,840
The landscape is welcomed into the house through an enormous expanse of
157
00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,880
glass that makes up the entire side elevation of the house.
158
00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,880
It's operated using a simple counterweight system.
159
00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,600
And there you are, we're out there with all those people in slacks and jumpers.
160
00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:48,400
That'll be us in a couple of years.
161
00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:55,320
This is a fully automated house,
162
00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:59,800
and major walls can move and disappear depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
163
00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,320
Most houses have doors and windows that open, but this house has walls that move,
164
00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,560
big pieces of wall that move in different configurations,
165
00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:13,640
and they're made of timber, concrete, glass,
166
00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,640
and all of those things together provide a range of different spaces.
167
00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:18,720
It's really unusual, actually.
168
00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:23,800
Here, what's lovely is that a wall is a device that, I guess,
169
00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:29,680
- is like a castle would have used a wall historically as the device...
- It's a fortress, isn't it?
170
00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:32,920
Yeah, to enclose a space. It is a fortress that has a number of different
171
00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:38,280
ways that that wall can open and move and slide around.
172
00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:39,600
21st-century fortress.
173
00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:43,040
If it were a fortress,
174
00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:46,160
this house wouldn't be a bad place to be under siege,
175
00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,440
with a state-of-the-art kitchen, a games and cinema room.
176
00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,600
Should the enemy breach the ramparts, this being Portugal,
177
00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:58,080
I could fortify myself for battle with some very quaffable vintage port.
178
00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:04,560
This is an enormous house.
179
00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:12,360
The second pool, the upstairs pool,
180
00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,240
which is absolutely stunningly beautiful...
181
00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:19,320
Bedroom...
182
00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:23,520
..and, oh, I appear to be in the bathroom.
183
00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:25,600
Oh, I am in the bathroom.
184
00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:28,440
Can't be a bathroom without a door.
185
00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:35,760
Tiny, little door.
186
00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:42,200
DOOR SHUTS GENTLY
187
00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:47,240
And, if you want to,
188
00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:50,840
you can watch the golfers from the third swimming pool.
189
00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,400
Master bedroom, I fancy.
190
00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,000
Lovely place to sit outside the bedroom.
191
00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:13,480
Look down on both pools.
192
00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,040
And relax.
193
00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:20,480
If I must.
194
00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:25,320
# Summer breeze makes me feel fine... #
195
00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:31,360
And what could be better after a rest than a bracing swim in mid-air?
196
00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:36,800
What are you doing, Taylor?
197
00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:39,560
HE LAUGHS
198
00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:41,800
Mad.
199
00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,200
This house is called Wall House for good reason.
200
00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:51,080
The wall defines the buildable limits of the plot.
201
00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:54,240
So, outside of the wall sits, you know,
202
00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,080
the sort of unguarded landscape.
203
00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:00,920
That is the landscape, and whistling in comes
204
00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:03,160
that cold, Atlantic wind,
205
00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,960
and the wall contains and stops that wind from entering.
206
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,160
So, within the wall, the question is how do you get in?
207
00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:11,440
And there is a bridge.
208
00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:13,360
I mean, it's like an ancient drawbridge
209
00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:17,200
that brings you up to the front door and into the house.
210
00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:18,640
With this contained space,
211
00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:24,240
what there is then is a very simple L-shaped building.
212
00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:29,160
That L-shaped building is then dropped into the courtyard.
213
00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:34,400
And it's that comes down, sits in this position, facing south...
214
00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:40,160
..gathering the winter sun, then, last, and perhaps most importantly,
215
00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,040
if you're Caroline Quentin,
216
00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:44,600
that courtyard contains this swimming pool.
217
00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:51,560
This house is interesting in how it manages to make a virtue out of its
218
00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:53,800
exposed position near the Atlantic...
219
00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:57,680
..by containing a set of protected spaces,
220
00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:00,080
where light and water are used poetically.
221
00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:07,840
I'm meeting the architects who designed this house, Marco and Jose.
222
00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:12,080
Tell me what you think the essential component of the design is.
223
00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,600
THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER
224
00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,160
We did the house for the weather and today it's a very good...
225
00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:20,440
It's a very good day.
226
00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:21,640
Sunny, windy.
227
00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,240
Sunny, windy.
228
00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:25,480
And the way the light works is very beautiful.
229
00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:27,240
It's particularly unusual here, though,
230
00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,720
because it's constantly moving because of the pool on the roof.
231
00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:35,480
And that was presumably a big design decision early on to place the pool
232
00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:37,960
- on the roof...
- On the first floor.
233
00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:41,840
Because we want to create a cover
234
00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,360
to the eating exterior area.
235
00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:47,920
But we don't want to lose the light.
236
00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:51,240
So we thought to create liquid...
237
00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,960
Some liquid element that let light inside the patio.
238
00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,200
The pool has huge pieces of glass.
239
00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:00,680
How was that engineered and built?
240
00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,160
- The bottom of...
- It's not glass.
- It's not glass?
241
00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:07,280
- It's acrylic.
- Acrylic? OK.
- It's acrylic, it's acrylic.
242
00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:09,760
Creating a transparent pool was a big challenge.
243
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:15,200
Four huge acrylic panels, 13 centimetres thick,
244
00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:17,440
in steel frames weighing eight tonnes each,
245
00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:20,080
had to be craned over the top of the house.
246
00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,120
Once carefully lowered into position,
247
00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,240
they were sealed with special silicon to make them watertight.
248
00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:33,560
The pool contains 55 tonnes of water.
249
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:37,160
Yet, because it's unsupported on two sides, it looks weightless.
250
00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:42,280
This effect is created by a counterweight in the ground and hefty
251
00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,360
steelwork in the supporting wall.
252
00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:50,160
This is a building where you see every single bit of construction.
253
00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,000
- You've got nowhere to hide if anything goes wrong.
- Of course.
254
00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,400
We use the structure like a finished house.
255
00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:57,720
We don't cover the structure.
256
00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,640
It's part of the architecture in disguise.
257
00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:03,200
This has no finishes in the conventional sense.
258
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:08,080
- Yes.
- Yes. And very difficult to do it, because the people, they say,
259
00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:12,320
"Ah, this is not finished, so, it's easy to do."
260
00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:13,920
- No.
- Not easy.
261
00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,360
- It's very hard.
- Not easy at all!
262
00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,720
Do you think these guys over here are going to wonder when you're going to
263
00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,400
render it and paint it pink and put the cornice on top?
264
00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,240
THEY LAUGH
265
00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,240
- Yes.
- No, they are different languages.
266
00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,680
This is a house that's very beautifully made,
267
00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:29,200
it's put together with real craft.
268
00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:35,240
This is the guarantee of the quality of the architecture.
269
00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:41,920
Sometimes, doing this,
270
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:46,600
it's easy to take for granted that you see some of the most brilliant places.
271
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,480
But this...
272
00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:55,200
..is without doubt one of the biggest privileges of my life, to be in a house like this.
273
00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:59,040
Everywhere you turn there's something beautiful,
274
00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:03,120
something fun, something interesting, something challenging.
275
00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:04,520
It's a real treat.
276
00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:09,200
- Hi, Piers.
- Hello.
277
00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:14,760
- What are you up to?
- I'm really struck by this house as a sort of mini citadel, in some ways.
- Yeah.
278
00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:18,720
It has a bounding fortress-like wall that keeps the outside out.
279
00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:22,000
And the wall is the device that deals with keeping the city,
280
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,120
the neighbours, the weather at bay.
281
00:17:24,120 --> 00:17:25,440
It deals with views.
282
00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:27,720
Views in, views out, all of that sort of stuff.
283
00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:30,560
Deals with arrival across that drawbridge.
284
00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:32,600
In a way, it is another world in here.
285
00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:34,600
It's interesting, the house, isn't it,
286
00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:39,680
because everywhere you look when you first arrive is closed off.
287
00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,640
But now that we've started to open up
288
00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:45,400
all the sides of the house, the walls of the house,
289
00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:47,800
it becomes an entirely different living space.
290
00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:54,200
POOL WATER RIPPLES
291
00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,680
My idea of heaven is to have a pool...
292
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:01,440
..directly off the bedroom.
293
00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,480
I think if you're going to build a luxury house, and this is,
294
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:09,400
let's face it, a luxury house, then, for me, that's what it's all about.
295
00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:16,000
But even us mere mortals, you know,
296
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,080
who live in ordinary, domestic places,
297
00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:23,360
flats and bed sitting rooms and suburban houses,
298
00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:25,400
we can glean something from this.
299
00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,480
We can. I mean, this is a really lavish house, a really expensive,
300
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,640
lavish house, but the best thing about it is free.
301
00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:36,120
It's daylight. It's beautiful light that comes flooding in everywhere.
302
00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:37,160
And we can all use that.
303
00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:44,120
Shh, don't say anything.
304
00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,160
Every country has its archetype in terms of houses.
305
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:50,920
In England, it's the country cottage.
306
00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:52,920
In Australia, it's a veranda house.
307
00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,560
In the American Midwest, it's the prairie house.
308
00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,720
And in Portugal, it's the courtyard house.
309
00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:00,720
And this is very much an archetypal Portuguese house.
310
00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,680
Here's that car I told you about.
311
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:04,920
- Hop in.
- This?
312
00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:07,320
- Yes!
- This?
- Yes!
313
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:10,360
Come on.
314
00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:12,280
How many horsepower has it got?
315
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:13,440
Half a horsepower.
316
00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:14,480
PIERS LAUGHS
317
00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:18,200
- As much as that?
- Yeah.
- Actually, your visor matches my jacket.
318
00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,280
Oh, you can really rock a visor, Piers.
319
00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:23,120
- Shall we have that round of golf, then?
- Yeah.
320
00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:35,440
But there's only so far you can get in a golf buggy.
321
00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,960
And we have to travel hundreds of kilometres to our next destination.
322
00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,880
We're going into the medieval heart of Portugal.
323
00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,800
Penela is a hilly farming region known for its vineyards,
324
00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:54,080
olive groves and hilltop towns, with roads designed for horse and cart.
325
00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,480
- Tiny town.
- Tiny streets.
326
00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:03,080
This absurdly large car.
327
00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:07,640
- I don't think we're going to get through there.
- No, I don't think we...
328
00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,160
CAROLINE HUMS NERVOUSLY
329
00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:10,880
Piers, how are you going to get out of here?
330
00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:13,000
I'm actually a really good driver. Trust me.
331
00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:16,720
Yeah, yeah, ooh! Slow down, slow down.
332
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,080
- OK, now I'm going back.
- OK.
333
00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:20,760
I think... Stop!
334
00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,000
Stop! Stop! Stop, Piers!
335
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,320
SENSOR BEEPS RAPIDLY
336
00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:26,720
Mind her frog.
337
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:29,840
I'm going back, I'm going back, I'm going back.
338
00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:33,120
She said go up that way.
339
00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:37,000
- No, I can, I can do it.
- He's an architect, he won't listen to me.
340
00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:40,240
All right, OK, good this side.
341
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,040
- Good this side.
- Look at that.
- Very gently.
342
00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:47,520
This town's not big enough for us, Piers.
343
00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:50,240
You've done it, you've cracked it.
344
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:52,720
Hola. Obrigado.
345
00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:58,160
- There we are.
- Oh.
346
00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,120
- What's wrong with that?
- Easy.
- Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
347
00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,240
Maybe we'll get into less trouble on foot.
348
00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,480
That's a lovely view.
349
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:13,880
Isn't that gorgeous?
350
00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:15,160
Too perfect to be real.
351
00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,800
It is. Every bit of this land has been terraced for probably 2,000 years,
352
00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,680
- hasn't it?
- Makes it very, very beautiful to look at, doesn't it?
353
00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,080
Cos it carries your eye all over the place.
354
00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:30,120
And very difficult to place a building because, actually, how do you not destroy those terraces?
355
00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:35,400
Built as a second home for a British couple seeking a change of pace,
356
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:38,760
our next house delivers exactly what they were looking for.
357
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:43,760
Fresh air, magnificent views and plenty of space.
358
00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:48,040
This dramatic holiday home, set in a former olive grove,
359
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:51,440
is hidden behind a simple, rustic entrance.
360
00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:53,320
Look at the depth of it. Seriously, look.
361
00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:55,560
This is... I mean, you could lose me in here.
362
00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:57,360
It's opening.
363
00:21:57,360 --> 00:21:59,720
CAROLINE LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY
364
00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:02,000
Bloody hell.
365
00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:05,480
Do you know, by rushing into the house like that,
366
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:07,640
you've rather missed this beautiful entrance.
367
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:09,480
This reveal. I mean, this is beautiful.
368
00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:14,520
This is a tiny, three-mil thick bit of steel which frames this entrance and,
369
00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,520
in a way, stops you seeing into this dry-stone wall.
370
00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:20,520
Which is beautiful. I mean, this wall is lovely.
371
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:24,120
- I mean, it's really lovely. Tactile.
- I love the juxtaposition of this steel,
372
00:22:24,120 --> 00:22:28,320
the smoothness with the roughness of this beautiful hewn rock.
373
00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:30,520
- Yeah.
- Clever, isn't it?
- Lovely.
374
00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,040
And very beautiful.
375
00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:34,400
Shall we go and try make an elegant entrance this time?
376
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,800
- Yeah, you'd better have a go this time.
- Yeah, OK.
- I'll just stand here and fall about.
377
00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:41,320
Beyond the traditional facade,
378
00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:44,480
Casa na Gateira dramatically reveals itself.
379
00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:49,240
# Suddenly I see
380
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:50,920
# This is what I wanna be
381
00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:52,080
# Suddenly I see
382
00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:56,240
# Why the hell it means so much... #
383
00:22:56,240 --> 00:23:00,040
This house is so embedded in the landscape that you can only really
384
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:04,040
understand its unconventional snakelike shape from the air.
385
00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,120
Time now to see how it works inside.
386
00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:13,080
This is presumably the same levels,
387
00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,240
the same shape that the landscape had before there was a house here.
388
00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:19,600
You know, if you followed this outside, this terrace would continue through.
389
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,560
- In exactly the same way that the olive trees are growing...
- That's right.
390
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,840
..just the olive trees would be here, only we're here instead of the olive trees.
391
00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:29,960
You're literally following the profile of the land all the time.
392
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:34,160
I mean, you know, you would never design a kitchen with a step in the middle of it,
393
00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,280
but, actually, that probably was the level of the ground.
394
00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:40,280
They've decided to keep that terrace visible, which is beautiful.
395
00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:42,040
And it works, for a space.
396
00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:47,640
- It really does work.
- And it leads you to what must be the main event, this extraordinary view.
397
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:54,920
The challenge for the architect was to build a house that stepped down
398
00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,240
the hill with the existing terraces.
399
00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,280
This has resulted in its unusual form.
400
00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:04,880
At the highest point is a garage, a small gym, and a guest bedroom.
401
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:11,080
A staircase leads down to the other levels, with an open kitchen,
402
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,080
living room and dining space.
403
00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,320
Beyond is the main bedroom and another one for guests.
404
00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,120
By separating each part of the house,
405
00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:24,400
all of the rooms are given access and views to the outdoors.
406
00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:34,040
Appropriately, in a region known for its wine,
407
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,400
the architects have used cork on some of the walls.
408
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:41,720
A local material with a complex texture and soft to the touch,
409
00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:43,080
it looks great.
410
00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:50,080
The use of cork in this house is absolutely right, because cork has been
411
00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:55,360
harvested in Portugal for over 300 years and it's done manually, because
412
00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:57,800
they haven't found a mechanical way of doing it.
413
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:02,640
So, people have been slicing the bark off these trees and using it in their
414
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:04,720
homes for such a long time.
415
00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:06,280
It's wonderful to see it used here,
416
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,200
not just decoratively but also acoustically.
417
00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:12,040
Because in these predominantly concrete houses,
418
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,960
and we've seen a lot of them, acoustics can be a real problem.
419
00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,800
And this just deadens that bouncing sound.
420
00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:19,840
Works really well.
421
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:26,200
This is clever.
422
00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:31,320
You can come through your wardrobe, your dressing room,
423
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:32,880
open this little secret door,
424
00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:36,920
sneak out there and have a cup of coffee in the early morning shade.
425
00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:42,400
And then the bedroom, very, very simple.
426
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,120
Just pure white design.
427
00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:46,160
Mandatory panda.
428
00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,600
And a bathroom that makes the most of the view.
429
00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:56,280
And, out here...
430
00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,400
..another lovely outside space.
431
00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,920
The sunshine first thing in the morning.
432
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:10,080
This is where I'd sit.
433
00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:21,680
The hierarchy of spaces in this house are really well considered,
434
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:22,800
beautifully organised.
435
00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:25,440
I mean, the kitchen is the command centre,
436
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,200
right in the middle of the house, looking at everything,
437
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,880
looking at the view, of course, but looking at every corner of the house.
438
00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:34,880
And I sense this is where the action is.
439
00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,800
And of course, then, in front of that is this main living room,
440
00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:40,440
organised along the terrace at the view.
441
00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:57,280
Houses like this that are very open plan do need more living spaces that
442
00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:02,640
you can shut off, if you really do want an intimate, private moment.
443
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,560
Excuse me, I'm trying to have an intimate, private moment.
444
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:09,120
All right.
445
00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,560
I think I might make myself scarce.
446
00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,560
The geometry of this house is complex
447
00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:21,640
and difficult to understand at first glance.
448
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:26,720
But if you draw the landscape, the house makes total sense.
449
00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:30,560
And, in many ways, you wonder how it could be any other way.
450
00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:36,640
If you draw the diagram of how you move from one terrace to the next,
451
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:38,360
what you end up with is...
452
00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,960
..a set of spaces that just encapsulate the route
453
00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:48,400
you would have taken down, across the terrace.
454
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:53,640
Even the pool here is another terrace.
455
00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:56,640
And what you have is the integrity...
456
00:27:57,760 --> 00:27:59,360
..of all of these terraces...
457
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:02,520
..retained. And that's pretty rare.
458
00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,680
Usually the shape of the ancient landscape,
459
00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,160
when you put a new building in it, is demolished.
460
00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:12,360
That's absolutely the opposite to this building,
461
00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:13,800
and that's why I love this house.
462
00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,360
This rural retreat was built for British couple Neil and Shirley.
463
00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:26,200
And they used an appropriately 21st-century method to build a very modern home.
464
00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,960
It's kind of an internet house in that we found the plot online,
465
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:33,960
we found the architect online, and we designed it with them,
466
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,400
and the four of us came up with this design,
467
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:41,720
which they nicknamed The Snake, because the house does snake down the landscape.
468
00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:44,600
Why did you decide on Portugal?
469
00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:49,160
Research online showed that there was land available here that was affordable.
470
00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:52,360
There were good architectural practices.
471
00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:54,160
We didn't want golf courses and beaches.
472
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:59,880
- No.
- We wanted vineyards, hills, mountains, countryside.
- Views.
473
00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:01,560
And that's really why we ended up here.
474
00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,480
When you saw The Snake, I mean, it's kind of...
475
00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:09,680
It's a much more interesting building that some people might have wanted, I think.
476
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:13,040
Yeah, I mean, it's all about form following function.
477
00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:17,280
One of the reasons for the shape is the two guest bedrooms have got their
478
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:20,440
own little corridors, so, during the day,
479
00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:25,680
we can be together all we like but, in the evening, people get peace and quiet.
480
00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:30,480
So, that's partly how we've ended up with this, kind of, three-headed snake.
481
00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,480
Why did you want to build a contemporary house?
482
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,480
Just an opportunity to build a living space
483
00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,880
from square one.
484
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:46,440
This is probably the only opportunity we'll have in our lifetime to
485
00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:51,360
create something that's just completely designed for how we want to live in it.
486
00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:54,040
So...
487
00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:57,960
That's a great opportunity to have and we think we've made the most of it.
488
00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,840
But are you enjoying life here in Portugal?
489
00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:02,400
Oh, yeah, I like it here.
490
00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,520
I mean, I just find it so relaxing.
491
00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,480
Just looking at that view, I just love it.
492
00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,560
The architects Vasco and Patricia
493
00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:15,800
have come to talk to me about their approach,
494
00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:17,920
and how they designed the house.
495
00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,760
Your clients were two British people that had never really spent any time
496
00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:27,520
here. How was that as a process for you?
497
00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:33,440
They specifically chose this place because they were not familiar with it.
498
00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,520
And they want to have this balance and come close to nature,
499
00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,840
and they can have loads of space for each room.
500
00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:43,520
What did they say when you showed them this?
501
00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:44,960
I think they were surprised.
502
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:48,880
My feeling was that they didn't quite know what to think of it because it
503
00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:52,520
was weird, it was not easy to perceive.
504
00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:54,680
The shape seemed complicated.
505
00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:59,000
I think that when we started describing the experience that we wanted them
506
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:03,080
to have of the site inside the house and throughout the house,
507
00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:08,640
then they understood that it could be very simple on top of the landscape.
508
00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:13,480
And building this house in a place where there are very few new houses,
509
00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:16,120
certainly no new houses that look like this,
510
00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:20,360
technically they level a site, and they put something in it,
511
00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:23,040
they build a big fence around it, how was that?
512
00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:24,720
When we arrived here, it was all here.
513
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:28,000
I mean, the vineyards were beautiful to look at,
514
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:31,800
and the scent of the olive trees of the neighbour,
515
00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,960
the sounds of the nature nearby, everything is here.
516
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:38,360
And if you do as little as possible,
517
00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,680
I think you have more a feeling of being part of this.
518
00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:48,520
CAROLINE: Casa na Gateira is clearly the result of successful and happy
519
00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,960
collaboration between architects and clients.
520
00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,200
I feel that we've been in Portugal for four days.
521
00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:00,480
We don't really understand what it is, as a...
522
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,280
..as a culture within its own right.
523
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:08,400
It's tricky, Piers, because it's difficult to reduce Portugal down to one
524
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:09,920
defining thing.
525
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,960
And, for us, in a way, it's what Portugal isn't that makes it nice.
526
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:17,120
- What do you mean?
- It's not Spain.
- It's not Spain. And it's not France.
527
00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:20,360
- I've never been a Francophile.
- What's the best thing about Portugal?
528
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,120
- The climate.
- Yeah.
529
00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:27,160
The people.
530
00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:30,520
Low key. It's not brash.
531
00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:32,240
It's very at ease with itself, isn't it?
532
00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:35,240
It's at ease with itself, yeah.
533
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:39,840
Neil and Shirley clearly enjoy all the simple pleasures that Portugal
534
00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:41,480
has to offer.
535
00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:46,520
And I really appreciate how they've worked with the architects to make a
536
00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:50,560
house that isn't ostentatious and responds to this ancient landscape.
537
00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,640
Time to leave the olive groves inland and head for the coast.
538
00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:03,920
Portugal has 850km of rugged, Atlantic coastline,
539
00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:07,960
so the architects here find themselves facing the dual challenges of
540
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,680
tricky terrain and extreme weather.
541
00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:17,240
We're visiting a house that has dealt with these challenges in an original way.
542
00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:20,840
It's a tiny country, Portugal.
543
00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:24,120
But, in a way, you feel this could go on for ever,
544
00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:26,600
like being in the Australian outback or something.
545
00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:31,440
And here, the soil seems to be so sandy and dry.
546
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:34,320
I think this piece of land here gets very windy.
547
00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:37,480
I mean, it's very exposed to the Atlantic, this isn't Mediterranean country.
548
00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:39,000
This is Atlantic country.
549
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,720
Is it hard to build houses in this sort of landscape?
550
00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:43,920
If you sort your foundations out, you're fine.
551
00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,280
A lot of your money will be in the ground here.
552
00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,720
Making sure it doesn't just gradually sink into...
553
00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:50,760
- ..into the sand.
- I like that in a house, don't you,
554
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:52,240
that it doesn't gradually sink?
555
00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:55,640
I think that's important in a build.
556
00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:58,280
It's here. Unprepossessing gate, quite like that.
557
00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:03,200
Scrubland, isn't it? They've built in pine scrub.
558
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:06,400
It's quite nice, though.
559
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,280
Oh, I can see it. I can see it.
560
00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:12,440
This house has been built on a huge 61-acre site for a
561
00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:14,880
free-spirited financier and his family.
562
00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:21,120
I'm interested that it doesn't give much away, does it?
563
00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,320
Really is nestled, isn't it, into the dunes.
564
00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:34,000
Casa Monte, or Dune House, as it's affectionately known,
565
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:39,160
has two artificial sand dunes that buttress the sides of the building
566
00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:40,520
and lead up onto the roof.
567
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,080
You do know what I'm going to have to do now, don't you?
568
00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:50,360
- I dread to think.
- It's making me feel I have to walk on the roof.
569
00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,120
- Steady.
- Steady on, girl.
570
00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:58,440
I like the fact that the path becomes the house.
571
00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:01,280
I like the ability to be able to...
572
00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,480
..survey the surrounding area very quickly.
573
00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:07,440
But it's also where we can understand what the house is and, actually,
574
00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:08,920
the house is in a way quite simple.
575
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:14,040
It's an X, it's a cross, and there are two little internal courtyards.
576
00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:15,840
It's lovely, isn't it? I mean,
577
00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:19,720
you get a real sense of place because we are quite high now.
578
00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:21,640
You can see into the forest.
579
00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:24,240
When viewed from above,
580
00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:27,640
the unusual shape of this building becomes apparent.
581
00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:35,240
The illusion is of a modest house,
582
00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:40,040
half hidden beneath man-made sand dunes that conceal its true size.
583
00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:51,800
It's a fascinating building, a stylish, secret den,
584
00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:54,280
nestling within a pine forest.
585
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,240
- This is the front.
- I've always liked what I call,
586
00:35:57,240 --> 00:36:01,680
in an old-fashioned sort of 1930s way, a storm porch.
587
00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:05,640
But, also, I love this really raw, crude concrete.
588
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:07,760
I mean, this is what they do around here.
589
00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:11,000
In England, curiously, we use it for really important public buildings.
590
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,440
Here, this is the stuff you can make cottages out of.
591
00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:17,080
It's crude, it's raw, it's cheap.
592
00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:18,680
- Just like me.
- Just like you.
593
00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:22,040
THEY CHUCKLE I saw that coming!
594
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:29,560
And we are outside again.
595
00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:31,600
We are, we are not underground at all.
596
00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:39,080
I thought it would be dark, I thought we were coming into an underground bunker,
597
00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:43,880
but it's beautifully light, and you can have a view
598
00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:46,080
wherever you look.
599
00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:48,360
This is the lightest bit of the house, in the middle,
600
00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:51,200
and I get now why the legs are pulled apart,
601
00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,200
because you can see right out into landscape.
602
00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:59,920
In plan, Dune House is a large, crooked cross shape,
603
00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:03,200
buried beneath man-made sand dunes.
604
00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:07,040
The first leg contains garaging and a guest apartment.
605
00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:11,400
Two more truncated legs provide four family bedrooms and bathrooms,
606
00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:13,880
each leading onto protected terraces.
607
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:18,560
An open-plan living and dining room that look into the garden and pool
608
00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,080
are in the fourth leg, with the kitchen alongside.
609
00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:25,560
It's an ingenious shape, which creates several intimate areas,
610
00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:29,800
each one with a different relationship to the landscape beyond.
611
00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:32,080
A big living space. This is the other leg.
612
00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:33,600
It's a big space.
613
00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:35,200
And this curved wall is unusual,
614
00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,560
and I guess that's because this leg has then been pulled away from the
615
00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:42,800
other limb to give you a big courtyard inside, and of course this roof,
616
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:46,320
this ceiling, slopes right the way down to about five foot.
617
00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:48,960
I like the fact that you can use it in different ways,
618
00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:52,360
because when it's cold and windy, you'd close off these windows,
619
00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:55,520
you'd sort of go to the other end, the sort of lower ceiling end,
620
00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:58,360
the more cottage-like end of the room, light a fire.
621
00:37:58,360 --> 00:37:59,920
Person-sized space down there.
622
00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:03,480
Exactly, short person size space down there.
623
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:06,280
And yet obviously when it's warm, open it up,
624
00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:08,440
and you're just at the poolside all day.
625
00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:12,440
But also in winter what's great is the sun will flood in, flood in,
626
00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:15,600
hit this floor, that floor will absorb all that heat,
627
00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:19,120
re-radiate it at night, so you can bask down the end there,
628
00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,400
in the knowledge that you've gained all that heat for free, actually.
629
00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:23,600
Free heat, I like that.
630
00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:31,160
The architect has created a house that can cope with an extremely variable climate.
631
00:38:33,200 --> 00:38:35,880
He's used shutters to reduce summer glare,
632
00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:39,840
and orientated most of the windows south to increase solar gain in winter.
633
00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:43,800
And he's topped it off with a cruciform roof.
634
00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:45,040
X marks the spot.
635
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:49,200
What I hadn't appreciated when I was on the roof is that this whole roof
636
00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:55,080
surface is a hyperbolic paraboloid, it's a flat plane that is twisted,
637
00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:58,960
so it's a double curvature, it's always curving in two dimensions.
638
00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:01,160
And of course you can do that with concrete.
639
00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,840
Not only is this house a hyperbolic paraboloid,
640
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:07,360
ahem,
641
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:09,720
but there's also loads of shiny concrete.
642
00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:21,440
They've made everything out of it, they've made the bed, the bedside table.
643
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:27,680
It's very clever, that one material that binds this house together.
644
00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:32,160
It's everywhere, even in here,
645
00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:34,400
and I like it very much for use in a bathroom.
646
00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:38,240
It's so easy to keep clean, stiff brush, damp cloth, job done.
647
00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:48,840
And beyond the house, acres of ancient pine forest.
648
00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:53,880
There are lots of things to enjoy about this house but the thing I love
649
00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:56,360
best is its proximity to these pine trees.
650
00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:59,320
Not only do they look beautiful, but,
651
00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:01,760
oh, they smell wonderful, too.
652
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:05,440
Please, Caroline, put the tree down.
653
00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:11,280
This house, organisationally, is pretty simple.
654
00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:14,480
I mean, there's a building that to all intents and purposes could have
655
00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:17,720
been organised as a rectangle, and there's a side that you drive up to,
656
00:40:17,720 --> 00:40:19,240
and you arrive in the front door,
657
00:40:19,240 --> 00:40:22,120
and then there's a side that faces south.
658
00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:27,040
The key trick of this building is that the house has been pulled apart,
659
00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:33,000
been massaged into an almost starfish-like shape.
660
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:39,320
But what you gain in doing that is a building that has landscape sitting
661
00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:45,840
around it, and that landscape can thread right the way into the heart
662
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:47,120
of this house.
663
00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:51,320
Critically, then, the whole house is only ever,
664
00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:57,800
wherever it is, only one room deep, so every single room, wherever it is,
665
00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:01,640
wherever it is in the building, has a view both ways.
666
00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:03,640
And that is really special.
667
00:41:05,720 --> 00:41:10,600
This unusual, light-filled home is definitely a one-off,
668
00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:15,440
and owner Andre is going to give me the lowdown on its creation.
669
00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:20,800
The thing I'm most interested in finding out is about how you first saw this land.
670
00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,480
Do you know this land from before?
671
00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:26,760
Well, we knew the region from before.
672
00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:28,360
I love going to the beach,
673
00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:33,400
and so we used to come a lot to this beach here nearby.
674
00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:36,120
I mean, it feels to me like you've sort of said,
675
00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:38,280
make somewhere easy to live.
676
00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:42,800
We did say that and mostly, we wanted to be very, very simple.
677
00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:46,080
You know, the materials are very basic, we don't have a lot of furniture,
678
00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:49,760
we don't have paintings, because we really wanted very, very, very, very simple.
679
00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:52,080
But the actual design, when he first showed you,
680
00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:56,800
when Luis showed you the design, a bird's eye view of the house,
681
00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:57,920
that's not simple.
682
00:41:57,920 --> 00:41:59,280
How did you cope with that?
683
00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:00,720
It was very unusual.
684
00:42:00,720 --> 00:42:03,640
- Yeah!
- I remember the first impression I got,
685
00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:07,280
it looked like some letter from some unknown alphabet.
686
00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:09,240
Yeah, yeah, no, it is like that, yeah.
687
00:42:09,240 --> 00:42:11,200
But it made a lot of sense, to be honest,
688
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:15,240
and it was not very difficult to buy into the idea.
689
00:42:15,240 --> 00:42:20,000
The idea came from Lisbon-based architect Luis Pereira Miguel.
690
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:24,200
He's passionate about building houses that respond to the natural environment.
691
00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:26,400
As you start designing the house,
692
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:29,840
it was clear that we would have to do something that had to
693
00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:33,320
take advantage of the sand, so, as you can see,
694
00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:36,080
this is completely made out of sand.
695
00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,320
It was very important to build the dunes to get this connection.
696
00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:42,200
Of course, every element in architecture has a price,
697
00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:46,240
so explaining to a client that he has to spend money on sand is quite
698
00:42:46,240 --> 00:42:48,560
difficult, but he
699
00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:50,520
agreed, and in the end I'm very happy with it.
700
00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:53,000
This is a house that really is a piece of landscape, isn't it?
701
00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:54,320
It's embedded in the ground.
702
00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:58,920
It is completely, I think it's much influenced in land art,
703
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,040
more than architecture.
704
00:43:03,240 --> 00:43:09,480
Luis used 120 tonnes of sand relocated from the site to create the dunes.
705
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:14,240
As sand is difficult to build on, the ground works alone took two months.
706
00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:18,080
Perhaps the trickiest part was the roof,
707
00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:21,960
as its complex geometry had to be set out in timber formwork,
708
00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:24,120
before it could be cast in concrete.
709
00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:28,080
And the internal courtyards, what are they about?
710
00:43:28,080 --> 00:43:29,760
They are for cross ventilation,
711
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:34,440
but also for getting nice spaces outside of the house,
712
00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:37,960
spaces where you can think, or you can meditate,
713
00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:40,080
have your breakfast or read your book.
714
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:45,160
So now, a few years on, how do you feel coming back now,
715
00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:47,320
and seeing this in this landscape?
716
00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:48,880
I find the house still beautiful,
717
00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:51,880
which is good, I think.
718
00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:55,920
And another thing about this house is that you cannot really say that
719
00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:58,440
this is a house from the '80s or from the '90s,
720
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:03,720
and I'm very happy to be here after those years to see that the house
721
00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:05,720
still is impeccable.
722
00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:10,240
It is a house built on a piece of land meant for building,
723
00:44:10,240 --> 00:44:14,760
but it still feels very like nature is boss here.
724
00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:19,760
- Yes.
- What do you love most about spending time here?
725
00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:23,000
I love everything, you know, I love that this is a house that we enjoy
726
00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:25,560
with friends. We enjoy the summer life here,
727
00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:29,840
and it's a house where my children were born, and grew,
728
00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:34,520
so it's got a lot of very emotional memories.
729
00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:38,720
You know, we like being completely with no neighbours in sight.
730
00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:44,000
That privacy is wonderful, and, yes, we love this landscape.
731
00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:52,440
The house is a very discreet intervention in an unspoiled forest.
732
00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:58,360
Andre, the owner, was saying to me that he loves this place,
733
00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:02,640
because it's all about living a kind of wild and free life.
734
00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:07,800
I think that's right, and it's rare to be in a house that's only ever four metres wide, wherever it is.
735
00:45:07,800 --> 00:45:10,760
You're constantly, wherever you are in the house, pushed,
736
00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:14,320
pushed right up against nature, and that's pretty good.
737
00:45:14,320 --> 00:45:16,000
It's fantastic, and in this place,
738
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:21,400
that actually means being pushed right out into the most wonderful pine forest.
739
00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:29,040
Our final destination is in Portugal's far north,
740
00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:31,640
a place famous for its natural beauty.
741
00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:36,360
It's a popular region for hikers and holiday-makers.
742
00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:43,040
Due to the altitude in this region of Portugal,
743
00:45:43,040 --> 00:45:46,280
the architects were asked to produce a property that would cope with cold
744
00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:50,800
weather, and also take advantage of the beautiful woodland landscape.
745
00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:53,960
I don't think we can be far away now.
746
00:45:53,960 --> 00:45:56,840
Steep valley side, facing
747
00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:58,160
north, I think.
748
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:01,080
- Is that it?
- Can you see it?
- I can see something...
749
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:06,480
- Right.
- Here we are.
- Excellent.
750
00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:13,640
Casa Geres is hidden, built on a hillside.
751
00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:18,120
The road leads to the rear, and in order to fully appreciate the house,
752
00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:21,880
we need to walk all the way around it before we go in.
753
00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:26,200
I really like the idea of not revealing anything at all as you arrive.
754
00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:29,480
It's a good way to meet a house, isn't it, Piers?
755
00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:33,120
I think we should just see what we can discover.
756
00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:37,280
A natural stream running down a valley has been diverted and transformed
757
00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:39,720
into a series of pools.
758
00:46:39,720 --> 00:46:41,400
Look at this waterfall.
759
00:46:41,400 --> 00:46:42,800
- Oh!
- Are you all right there?
760
00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:45,280
No, I nearly was in the drink, then.
761
00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:48,160
You know, the Victorians would have gone mad for this, it's a fernery, basically.
762
00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:49,840
We're going mad for it, you're going mad for it.
763
00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:52,080
I am! I really think it's extraordinarily beautiful,
764
00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:58,120
and I love the way it's sort of just another part of your journey around
765
00:46:58,120 --> 00:47:00,120
this house, and we've only just started.
766
00:47:06,240 --> 00:47:10,760
The house is like a large cabin, perched on the mountainside.
767
00:47:10,760 --> 00:47:12,680
The platform is made from concrete,
768
00:47:14,360 --> 00:47:18,440
with a building above a much more lightweight combination of steel,
769
00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:22,160
timber and glass, with framed views out into the woodland.
770
00:47:26,880 --> 00:47:31,320
Our first real glimpse of the house and the scale of it is phenomenal.
771
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:34,560
It's really lovely the way the concrete embeds the house in the ground,
772
00:47:34,560 --> 00:47:38,240
and then there's this very lightweight timber wrapping over the top.
773
00:47:38,240 --> 00:47:41,600
It's a lovely way these two bits of building have come together.
774
00:47:41,600 --> 00:47:44,600
It's really monolithic and I have to confess I have a
775
00:47:44,600 --> 00:47:47,720
love of buildings that don't have small, domestic openings,
776
00:47:47,720 --> 00:47:50,320
but have big planes of material.
777
00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:54,360
Already, we've been here a few minutes, and there's so much going on.
778
00:47:54,360 --> 00:47:57,120
- It's terribly powerful.
- It is.
779
00:48:00,840 --> 00:48:04,920
I mean, what a great entrance shaft, and there's no other word for it.
780
00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:07,600
There's something really wonderful about the simplicity of it,
781
00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:13,360
because you know by now there's going to be a real treat when you reach the bottom.
782
00:48:17,160 --> 00:48:20,120
- After you, my lord.
- Thank you.
783
00:48:21,200 --> 00:48:25,600
The long, concrete steps are very theatrical, concealing the view
784
00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:28,000
until it's revealed to you from inside.
785
00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:32,600
The house is anchored into both the hillside behind it,
786
00:48:32,600 --> 00:48:34,280
and the bedrock below.
787
00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:39,960
At one end is a five-metre high bedroom area,
788
00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:44,280
separated from the main house by a small courtyard, and, inside,
789
00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:47,280
the bedrooms and bathrooms are accessed from a mezzanine,
790
00:48:47,280 --> 00:48:52,560
which overlooks the double-height living space below.
791
00:48:52,560 --> 00:48:55,400
Oh, what a great room. I mean, this is a huge space.
792
00:48:56,560 --> 00:49:00,360
It's much bigger... I mean, I knew it was going to be quite a big room, but this is enormous, isn't it?
793
00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:02,400
It reminds me of a saying my old tutor used to use,
794
00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:06,120
which was every house should have a room where a child can get up to speed.
795
00:49:06,120 --> 00:49:09,160
- What about an adult getting up to speed?
- I don't know, shall we give it a go?
796
00:49:09,160 --> 00:49:11,520
- Yeah, go on.
- All right, you have to go, too.
797
00:49:11,520 --> 00:49:13,040
I'll start here. All right.
798
00:49:13,040 --> 00:49:14,600
One, two, three, go!
799
00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:16,800
- First one to touch the end!
- No!
800
00:49:19,400 --> 00:49:21,080
You have to do a tag, now!
801
00:49:24,440 --> 00:49:28,760
This space is designed to work as both an intimate family room and a place
802
00:49:28,760 --> 00:49:31,800
to entertain larger gatherings.
803
00:49:31,800 --> 00:49:34,000
I do like the idea of having a room that you can do anything with,
804
00:49:34,000 --> 00:49:36,320
so you could clear all this out and you could play tennis.
805
00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:40,320
You really... It's not a classical building with a formal set of rooms and
806
00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:43,560
antechambers, this is a big, flexible warehouse.
807
00:49:43,560 --> 00:49:46,960
I like the idea of being able to move where your sitting room is.
808
00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:48,520
Nothing is tethered.
809
00:49:48,520 --> 00:49:50,720
It's all absolutely free.
810
00:49:51,720 --> 00:49:55,840
What transforms this contemporary warehouse structure from cavernous
811
00:49:55,840 --> 00:50:01,080
to cosy is a subtle colour palette of vintage furniture and a generous use of
812
00:50:01,080 --> 00:50:03,360
sensuous textiles.
813
00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:05,680
I'm going to take the weight
814
00:50:05,680 --> 00:50:07,000
off my slingbacks.
815
00:50:11,960 --> 00:50:13,760
It's very calm in here, Piers.
816
00:50:15,240 --> 00:50:16,520
It's church-like.
817
00:50:18,960 --> 00:50:22,160
The colour of the leaves outside,
818
00:50:22,160 --> 00:50:25,320
the valley with the sun on it, sheepskin and...
819
00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:29,600
I'm quite weary.
820
00:50:34,560 --> 00:50:36,680
I might just have a little relax, sweetie.
821
00:50:39,720 --> 00:50:42,760
Caroline's right, this does have a church-like quality, because,
822
00:50:42,760 --> 00:50:46,680
of course, this is the main hall and the back of the vestry space is the
823
00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:51,120
smaller spaces, subservience to the main event, which, in this case,
824
00:50:51,120 --> 00:50:53,360
is a very rudimentary kitchen.
825
00:50:53,360 --> 00:50:56,480
It's almost like the scullery that a manor house would have had,
826
00:50:56,480 --> 00:50:59,600
but made in the 21st century, fashioned out of very,
827
00:50:59,600 --> 00:51:02,360
very straightforward bits and pieces,
828
00:51:02,360 --> 00:51:06,760
lit by a single shaft of light from above hitting all of this masonry.
829
00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:12,320
And in here, the depth of this wall, it's four foot thick,
830
00:51:12,320 --> 00:51:18,520
this wall, and it's taking me upstairs through what looks like an ancient stone staircase.
831
00:51:26,400 --> 00:51:29,120
Upstairs is very different from a church.
832
00:51:29,120 --> 00:51:32,960
This is industrial steel, this is bridge technology.
833
00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:37,400
The whole of the top of this house is really one big truss that lifts up
834
00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:40,320
that timber box above the concrete.
835
00:51:42,280 --> 00:51:45,680
And what we have up here has a very different character from the room below.
836
00:51:45,680 --> 00:51:48,520
The room below is big, grand and formal.
837
00:51:48,520 --> 00:51:50,440
The room up here is much smaller.
838
00:51:52,200 --> 00:51:53,680
And look,
839
00:51:53,680 --> 00:51:57,280
there's Caroline Quentin fast asleep and this is a really good place where
840
00:51:57,280 --> 00:52:02,440
you could bring out your 11-year-old boy and lob things at people below.
841
00:52:05,720 --> 00:52:06,880
Go away.
842
00:52:06,880 --> 00:52:08,840
I'm giving you all my sweets.
843
00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:11,320
Not bad.
844
00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:20,040
The bedroom has a cabin-like quality.
845
00:52:20,040 --> 00:52:23,120
This could be on a boat somewhere.
846
00:52:23,120 --> 00:52:25,480
It's lined in timber from top to bottom.
847
00:52:25,480 --> 00:52:27,480
Acoustically, it's very different.
848
00:52:27,480 --> 00:52:29,120
It's really warm.
849
00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:33,120
And these shutters are really rudimentary.
850
00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:36,680
They're simple, big pieces of timber.
851
00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:40,880
The top is held open just by a timber prop,
852
00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:42,880
the bottom one is hung by a chain.
853
00:52:42,880 --> 00:52:44,600
Again, this structure here,
854
00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:48,480
this is just all the exposed bolt heads and this is really simple,
855
00:52:48,480 --> 00:52:52,760
pretty unrefined steel, there's nothing fancy about it.
856
00:52:54,640 --> 00:52:57,160
But the windows here are sophisticated.
857
00:52:57,160 --> 00:53:02,600
Unsurprising, as the owner has a company that specialises in
858
00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:06,000
manufacturing hi-tech frames and glass.
859
00:53:07,480 --> 00:53:11,080
Jose, Caroline. Lovely to meet you.
860
00:53:11,080 --> 00:53:15,360
Thank you so much for inviting us into this absolutely wonderful house.
861
00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:19,480
What's it like living in this house with the family?
862
00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:04,640
There is something very particular about the way the house is made and the way the
863
00:54:04,640 --> 00:54:12,120
elements come together because the ground is sloping hillside and on that
864
00:54:12,120 --> 00:54:15,080
sits this inverted L,
865
00:54:15,080 --> 00:54:19,960
which is made of concrete and it's the material that grounds the house
866
00:54:19,960 --> 00:54:23,440
to this hillside, and it cantilevers over the pool at the end and then
867
00:54:23,440 --> 00:54:26,400
there's that tree with these fantastic autumn leaves.
868
00:54:26,400 --> 00:54:31,040
And much like a tree that has a canopy held up on a trunk,
869
00:54:31,040 --> 00:54:36,760
the house above that piece of ground is an almost treelike structure
870
00:54:36,760 --> 00:54:42,320
because these little posts hold up a box truss
871
00:54:42,320 --> 00:54:44,520
that sits above this
872
00:54:44,520 --> 00:54:49,880
and the entire first floor then sits within that truss zone.
873
00:54:49,880 --> 00:54:55,120
So what you have is a real sense of a landscape that kind of comes
874
00:54:55,120 --> 00:54:59,680
through, wraps right the way around the house,
875
00:54:59,680 --> 00:55:03,200
sort of framing the house when you see it in landscape.
876
00:55:06,640 --> 00:55:09,000
And with those windows, what a frame.
877
00:55:12,760 --> 00:55:17,160
Coming out into this courtyard space through this glass partition is
878
00:55:17,160 --> 00:55:20,000
really fabulous because this is what Jose does for a living -
879
00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:24,440
he works with architects using glass, which is his speciality.
880
00:55:24,440 --> 00:55:28,320
Not only does that door slide open, really elegantly and beautiful,
881
00:55:28,320 --> 00:55:33,240
but this one does, too, so opening up this whole riad space.
882
00:55:33,240 --> 00:55:38,840
A courtyard area that you can use in the summer when it's hot and it keeps
883
00:55:38,840 --> 00:55:43,160
you in the shade, or even in the autumn, like now,
884
00:55:43,160 --> 00:55:45,320
you can use these spaces,
885
00:55:45,320 --> 00:55:49,400
which are quite sheltered when the wind is blowing hard up the valley,
886
00:55:49,400 --> 00:55:55,320
and it brings you in from the outside into this wonderful master bedroom.
887
00:55:55,320 --> 00:55:58,160
And unlike the rooms in the other side of the house,
888
00:55:58,160 --> 00:55:59,320
the other guest bedrooms,
889
00:55:59,320 --> 00:56:01,880
which are upstairs and small and cosy and wooden,
890
00:56:01,880 --> 00:56:04,600
this one has much more elegant proportions.
891
00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:07,400
With a 5m ceiling,
892
00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:10,760
a giraffe could get a good night's kip in here without getting a crick
893
00:56:10,760 --> 00:56:12,360
in its neck.
894
00:56:12,360 --> 00:56:17,600
So you're still connected, so you can still see through the building and all the glass and the wood
895
00:56:17,600 --> 00:56:21,160
in there, but if you want to be away from your guests or your children or
896
00:56:21,160 --> 00:56:24,960
something, it enables you to get away and have a little bit of privacy in
897
00:56:24,960 --> 00:56:27,120
a really beautiful space.
898
00:56:31,400 --> 00:56:35,160
This house is intimate and impressive, stylish and fun,
899
00:56:35,160 --> 00:56:39,920
combining stunning architecture and great taste.
900
00:56:39,920 --> 00:56:42,120
- Quite nippy now, isn't it?
- Yeah.
901
00:56:42,120 --> 00:56:43,720
I'm quite glad we can light the fire.
902
00:56:46,720 --> 00:56:48,840
I do love the house.
903
00:56:48,840 --> 00:56:50,920
It's a really elemental building in many ways,
904
00:56:50,920 --> 00:56:52,800
in terms of how it connects us with nature,
905
00:56:52,800 --> 00:56:57,600
all the materials and the noise and the textures of everything.
906
00:56:57,600 --> 00:57:01,800
And the house itself, the wood and the concrete,
907
00:57:01,800 --> 00:57:03,520
they really complement each other.
908
00:57:05,200 --> 00:57:06,960
- Just like us.
- Yeah.
909
00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:10,560
Just like us.
910
00:57:10,560 --> 00:57:14,160
For me, each Portuguese house we've seen has been really ambitious from
911
00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:16,040
an architectural perspective.
912
00:57:16,040 --> 00:57:19,840
While at the same time being sympathetic to its context.
913
00:57:19,840 --> 00:57:25,160
Portugal has been astonishingly diverse in its culture, in its landscape,
914
00:57:25,160 --> 00:57:28,000
in its people and in its buildings.
915
00:57:28,000 --> 00:57:29,440
It is somehow, though,
916
00:57:29,440 --> 00:57:34,440
a nation that sort of keeps itself to itself pretty much and the houses
917
00:57:34,440 --> 00:57:35,600
have been like that, too,
918
00:57:35,600 --> 00:57:38,680
but once we've scratched around and tried to find out,
919
00:57:38,680 --> 00:57:41,600
I've really enjoyed the things that we've discovered.
920
00:57:41,600 --> 00:57:44,040
And inside, there is a treasure trove.
921
00:57:44,040 --> 00:57:47,760
They've been subtle, they've been inscrutable, they've been very beautiful.
922
00:57:47,760 --> 00:57:49,400
Rather like Portugal itself.
923
00:57:49,400 --> 00:57:51,000
You sound like you've had a good time.
924
00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:52,680
I have, thank you.
925
00:57:52,680 --> 00:57:55,360
- Obrigada.
- Obrigado!
926
00:57:55,360 --> 00:57:56,400
De nada.
927
00:57:58,120 --> 00:58:00,880
- Nae bother.
- Nae bother!
928
00:58:02,040 --> 00:58:04,640
We're sort of Glaswegian Portuguese!
929
00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:13,160
Next time, we're in Switzerland, visiting majestic mountain homes...
930
00:58:13,160 --> 00:58:15,720
I mean, it's like something out of a fairy tale.
931
00:58:15,720 --> 00:58:17,920
..startling lakeside pads...
932
00:58:17,920 --> 00:58:21,840
- Look at me!
- ..and luxurious alpine villas,
933
00:58:21,840 --> 00:58:26,720
as once again we go in search of the world's most extraordinary homes.
934
00:58:26,720 --> 00:58:31,880
This is clearly what this entire house is about.
78069
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.