Own house of Leite Siza in Porto

You may have read about the son of the legendary Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza six years ago, when he completed a house for his cousin on a steep slope in the wild nature west of Porto. At the same time, Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira began designing his own house in Porto, where he moved in with his family in July of last year. All rooms are arranged in a line within a slender two-story volume. Each room offers direct access to the garden through sharply framed doors. The sculpturally shaped volume of the family house rests on a massive granite base. Various breakages, cutouts, and duplications of the white surfaces blur the clear distinction between the walls and roof of the house. Openings in the facades provide views into covered loggias that act as a ship's promenade, adding a futuristic charm to the building. The overall composition culminates in the living space with ceiling features reminiscent of postmodern mannerism: the ceiling is sliced into two scrolls revealing gray exposed concrete.