We, were given the task of developing a sort of case study home for a friend who represents a Minimal-window producer from Portugal, in the Murud region amidst a coconut grove. The windows being high-tech and modern in their presence were meant to disappear against the verdant view.
The stone construction was manifested in thick tilt-up 40mm granite slabs, allowing the minimal windows into cavity walls. Stone has a sense of time built into it, like the grandfather of building materials. It is also a highly sustainable material to build with due to the least number of processes required from quarry to site.
Conceived as a super modern yet ancient vessel this construct, is a simple assemblage of giant panels of glass against huge Stone slabs. A primitive sense of dwelling pervades, as the day turns into a starry night sky and the light pours out of the glass making the stone invisible, a reversal of what one perceives in the day, once all else decays the stone will stand.
Photographs: Umang Shah & javiercallejas.com