0:00:02 > 0:00:04I think it's time, Caroline, to go and see how the other half live.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Talk about welcome to my humble abode.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Cor! That is a whole lot of house.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15He's Piers Taylor, an award-winning architect.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19I mean, the depth of this wall, it's four foot thick.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21After you, my lord.
0:00:21 > 0:00:22And she's Caroline Quentin -
0:00:22 > 0:00:26acclaimed actress and passionate property developer.
0:00:26 > 0:00:32This house has the perfect ratio of bedrooms to swimming pools.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37We've been given the keys to some of the most incredible houses in the world.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39If we were left alone here for any amount of time,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- I have a feeling...- We would ruin this house.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42THEY LAUGH
0:00:42 > 0:00:44To discover the design innovation,
0:00:44 > 0:00:50passion and endurance needed to transform architectural vision into an extraordinary home.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53It's so glamorous, Piers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56We're travelling the globe.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Ho-ho!
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Meeting architects and owners to explore how their daring homes respond
0:01:01 > 0:01:05uniquely to local landscape, climate and culture.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I think this is probably the greatest house I've ever been in.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Whether it's battling the elements to construct a dream home on dramatic
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Scandinavian terrain...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18The architect was nervous that things would go wrong.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20They couldn't bear to look at it.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Pushing the boundaries of European experimentation...
0:01:23 > 0:01:25- I think that's it.- I think it is.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29When I looked at the proposal, at the beginning, I was almost shocked.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Celebrating craftsmanship and beauty in Asia...
0:01:33 > 0:01:38They take away the extraneous, and they leave you with what is beautiful.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Or going all out for glamour in America.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46You just do what you do best, is to create a masterpiece.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48- AMERICAN ACCENT:- Piers! Is this too Miami?
0:01:56 > 0:02:00We're in Portugal on the southwestern edge of Europe,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04a country of stunning landscapes, and a wild, rugged, Atlantic coastline.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Have you been to Portugal before?
0:02:08 > 0:02:11- I've never been to Portugal before. - It's beautiful.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16I'm fascinated to discover more about Portugal.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21I've heard that there is real design ambition here and an exhibitionism
0:02:21 > 0:02:22below the surface.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24They're beautiful little settlements.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27I mean, I love the modesty of them all, you know?
0:02:27 > 0:02:29- Nothing has been designed to be looked AT, has it?- No.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35We're hitting the road to find Portugal's hidden architectural treasures.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Risking life and limb...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- It's opening!- Oh!
0:02:40 > 0:02:41CAROLINE LAUGHS
0:02:41 > 0:02:44..exploring some of Portugal's most exciting homes.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49It works for a space, and it leads you to what must be the main event,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51this extraordinary view.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53- VOICEOVER:- Where architects have been let loose...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56One, two, three... BOTH: Go! First one to touch the end!
0:02:56 > 0:02:58No!
0:02:58 > 0:03:03- VOICEOVER:- ..to create phenomenal properties that respond sympathetically to their setting.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07This is, without doubt,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11one of the biggest privileges of my life, to be in a house like this.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18We're starting in a beautiful and windswept region west of Lisbon known as
0:03:18 > 0:03:19the Portuguese Riviera.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27And tucked away somewhere in this exclusive seaside neighbourhood
0:03:27 > 0:03:29is a discreet and beautiful modern home.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32Have you got the address there?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Yeah, I think it says it's on the left somewhere.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36- It says we're here.- Oh.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40That's not at all what I expected.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Er, it's not that one, Caroline, I think it's this one.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Oh, yeah. That makes sense.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55VOICEOVER: I like that, from the street, this house gives little away.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00But, beyond the drawbridge, there is a complex and sophisticated three-dimensional puzzle.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02First, we need to work out how to get in.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Have you got the key?
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Oh, here it is, sorry, sorry.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09OK, oh, OK. So, it's really... Hang on. Erm...
0:04:14 > 0:04:16CAROLINE LAUGHS
0:04:16 > 0:04:18That's very chic, isn't it?
0:04:19 > 0:04:20A moving hedge.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27- What are you doing?!- Sorry! - Caroline.- I'm sorry, I pressed the wrong button.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- I don't know what, I don't know!- I could have been squashed like a bug in there!- Sorry!
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- Mine's opened.- Everything's opening now.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Oh! I didn't know I'd done that!
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I think if you're going to press a button now, and this is going to come out like a drawbridge, isn't
0:04:40 > 0:04:42- it, and throw me off the top.- Yeah.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Caroline Quentin in charge of a remote control - that is not a good thing.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47CAROLINE LAUGHS
0:04:47 > 0:04:49It's very tactile.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Very beautiful.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52And very grand.
0:04:56 > 0:05:02This stunning family villa is a masterclass in understated beauty.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Light and shade dance bewitchingly through the minimalist, stylish interior.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12The architects have created a kind of 21st-century castle with walls of
0:05:12 > 0:05:16concrete, glass and timber which all move at the touch of a button.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22The moving walls mean that this is a house that works with the landscape
0:05:22 > 0:05:24as well as the highly changeable weather.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34It's eight foot wide and eight foot high and I can operate it with a single finger.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Of course, a house like this wouldn't have a front door with a
0:05:37 > 0:05:39conventional, you know, latch, etc.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46And at first glance, it's difficult to tell what's inside and what's outside.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54There's a garden inside this house.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56And there is also...
0:05:56 > 0:06:00the most marvellous car downstairs, that I'm going to have to show you.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02- Can I go now? Can I have a look? - No, not immediately.- Oh.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06Gosh, this is good.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07Oh.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11It's a breathtaking room.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I've just seen a golf buggy go past. That's hilarious!
0:06:19 > 0:06:22It's got the most amazing view in the world and then there's
0:06:22 > 0:06:26a load of people with sun visors on, zooming past!
0:06:26 > 0:06:31Because Portugal is one of the golf capitals of the world.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Why would you build what is clearly one of the most beautiful houses in
0:06:34 > 0:06:37the world on the seventh tee or whatever?
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Because I guess they're incredibly keen golfers.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42That whole wall opens up, I think,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46which means that you can swing your bat, you could kick off from here, couldn't you?
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- You could... Kick off? Bless you.- What do you do?
0:06:49 > 0:06:50I think they tee off.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53And again, look, there, you could just open this up.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57And then you've got a swimming pool IN your sitting room.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02But this house has many other interesting surprises.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Oh...
0:07:03 > 0:07:05This is the room, isn't it?
0:07:05 > 0:07:07So, that's the second swimming pool.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09That's the second swimming pool on the roof.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17The courtyard is designed to keep out the strong winds that come in from the Atlantic,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21but it's also where the combination of light and water is used in a very architectural way.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28It's a two-pool house.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31That's my dream house, a two-pool house.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Actually, a single-pool house is my dream house,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36so a two-pool house is just...
0:07:36 > 0:07:39It's unimaginably marvellous.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43It's so glamorous, Piers, isn't it?
0:07:43 > 0:07:47It's lovely, but it also is a very sensible way of making a space in a hot climate
0:07:47 > 0:07:50because, in summer, you can cross-vent all of this and use it,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55you're in the shade, but, in winter, you can use this to have lunch, to hang around. It's great!
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Inside Wall House's heavy exterior shell is a family home.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07Above a basement with guest bedrooms and garage and a recreation room
0:08:07 > 0:08:08are the main living spaces.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12An open-plan kitchen and sitting room are arranged around
0:08:12 > 0:08:13the enclosed courtyard and pool.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Above are three family bedrooms,
0:08:18 > 0:08:24bathrooms and a series of balconies all overlooking a transparent swimming pool.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28This creates a canopy for the courtyard below,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30providing a beautiful quality of light.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37And the light from the pool is beautiful coming through, or the shade, I guess.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Dappled over your dining area.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43It's a really usable, contained courtyard in the middle of a house,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and this house has lots of glamour, lots of style.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49And this pine is beautiful. This is really good quality.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53It's very wide, very beautiful timber,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56That's carefully selected. I mean, there's no knots, you know, it's lovely stuff.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00And, actually, as a palette of materials here, you know, blue sky, grey concrete,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04blue pool, grey timber, it's a really good palette, isn't it?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I love it. I absolutely love it.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It looks like you can open these up,
0:09:12 > 0:09:17and when it's a hot day just really take advantage of that wonderful breeze.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Why don't you press that button, Caroline?
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- Which button?- Just on the wall there.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28The landscape is welcomed into the house through an enormous expanse of
0:09:28 > 0:09:32glass that makes up the entire side elevation of the house.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37It's operated using a simple counterweight system.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46And there you are, we're out there with all those people in slacks and jumpers.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48That'll be us in a couple of years.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55This is a fully automated house,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59and major walls can move and disappear depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Most houses have doors and windows that open, but this house has walls that move,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11big pieces of wall that move in different configurations,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13and they're made of timber, concrete, glass,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and all of those things together provide a range of different spaces.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18It's really unusual, actually.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23Here, what's lovely is that a wall is a device that, I guess,
0:10:23 > 0:10:29- is like a castle would have used a wall historically as the device... - It's a fortress, isn't it?
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Yeah, to enclose a space. It is a fortress that has a number of different
0:10:32 > 0:10:38ways that that wall can open and move and slide around.
0:10:38 > 0:10:3921st-century fortress.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43If it were a fortress,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46this house wouldn't be a bad place to be under siege,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49with a state-of-the-art kitchen, a games and cinema room.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Should the enemy breach the ramparts, this being Portugal,
0:10:53 > 0:10:58I could fortify myself for battle with some very quaffable vintage port.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04This is an enormous house.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12The second pool, the upstairs pool,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15which is absolutely stunningly beautiful...
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Bedroom...
0:11:21 > 0:11:23..and, oh, I appear to be in the bathroom.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25Oh, I am in the bathroom.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28Can't be a bathroom without a door.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35Tiny, little door.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42DOOR SHUTS GENTLY
0:11:45 > 0:11:47And, if you want to,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50you can watch the golfers from the third swimming pool.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Master bedroom, I fancy.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Lovely place to sit outside the bedroom.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Look down on both pools.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18And relax.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20If I must.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25# Summer breeze makes me feel fine... #
0:12:27 > 0:12:31And what could be better after a rest than a bracing swim in mid-air?
0:12:35 > 0:12:36What are you doing, Taylor?
0:12:38 > 0:12:39HE LAUGHS
0:12:40 > 0:12:41Mad.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46This house is called Wall House for good reason.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51The wall defines the buildable limits of the plot.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54So, outside of the wall sits, you know,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57the sort of unguarded landscape.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00That is the landscape, and whistling in comes
0:13:00 > 0:13:03that cold, Atlantic wind,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and the wall contains and stops that wind from entering.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09So, within the wall, the question is how do you get in?
0:13:09 > 0:13:11And there is a bridge.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13I mean, it's like an ancient drawbridge
0:13:13 > 0:13:17that brings you up to the front door and into the house.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18With this contained space,
0:13:18 > 0:13:24what there is then is a very simple L-shaped building.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29That L-shaped building is then dropped into the courtyard.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34And it's that comes down, sits in this position, facing south...
0:13:35 > 0:13:40..gathering the winter sun, then, last, and perhaps most importantly,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42if you're Caroline Quentin,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44that courtyard contains this swimming pool.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51This house is interesting in how it manages to make a virtue out of its
0:13:51 > 0:13:53exposed position near the Atlantic...
0:13:55 > 0:13:57..by containing a set of protected spaces,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00where light and water are used poetically.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07I'm meeting the architects who designed this house, Marco and Jose.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12Tell me what you think the essential component of the design is.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER
0:14:15 > 0:14:19We did the house for the weather and today it's a very good...
0:14:19 > 0:14:20It's a very good day.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21Sunny, windy.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Sunny, windy.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25And the way the light works is very beautiful.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27It's particularly unusual here, though,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30because it's constantly moving because of the pool on the roof.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35And that was presumably a big design decision early on to place the pool
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- on the roof...- On the first floor.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Because we want to create a cover
0:14:41 > 0:14:45to the eating exterior area.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47But we don't want to lose the light.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51So we thought to create liquid...
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Some liquid element that let light inside the patio.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58The pool has huge pieces of glass.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00How was that engineered and built?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- The bottom of...- It's not glass. - It's not glass?
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- It's acrylic.- Acrylic? OK.- It's acrylic, it's acrylic.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Creating a transparent pool was a big challenge.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Four huge acrylic panels, 13 centimetres thick,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17in steel frames weighing eight tonnes each,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20had to be craned over the top of the house.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Once carefully lowered into position,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27they were sealed with special silicon to make them watertight.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33The pool contains 55 tonnes of water.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Yet, because it's unsupported on two sides, it looks weightless.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42This effect is created by a counterweight in the ground and hefty
0:15:42 > 0:15:44steelwork in the supporting wall.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50This is a building where you see every single bit of construction.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- You've got nowhere to hide if anything goes wrong.- Of course.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56We use the structure like a finished house.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57We don't cover the structure.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00It's part of the architecture in disguise.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03This has no finishes in the conventional sense.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08- Yes.- Yes. And very difficult to do it, because the people, they say,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12"Ah, this is not finished, so, it's easy to do."
0:16:12 > 0:16:13- No.- Not easy.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- It's very hard.- Not easy at all!
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Do you think these guys over here are going to wonder when you're going to
0:16:18 > 0:16:21render it and paint it pink and put the cornice on top?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23THEY LAUGH
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- Yes.- No, they are different languages.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27This is a house that's very beautifully made,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29it's put together with real craft.
0:16:29 > 0:16:35This is the guarantee of the quality of the architecture.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Sometimes, doing this,
0:16:41 > 0:16:46it's easy to take for granted that you see some of the most brilliant places.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48But this...
0:16:50 > 0:16:55..is without doubt one of the biggest privileges of my life, to be in a house like this.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Everywhere you turn there's something beautiful,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03something fun, something interesting, something challenging.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04It's a real treat.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- Hi, Piers.- Hello.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14- What are you up to?- I'm really struck by this house as a sort of mini citadel, in some ways.- Yeah.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18It has a bounding fortress-like wall that keeps the outside out.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22And the wall is the device that deals with keeping the city,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24the neighbours, the weather at bay.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25It deals with views.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Views in, views out, all of that sort of stuff.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Deals with arrival across that drawbridge.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32In a way, it is another world in here.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34It's interesting, the house, isn't it,
0:17:34 > 0:17:39because everywhere you look when you first arrive is closed off.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42But now that we've started to open up
0:17:42 > 0:17:45all the sides of the house, the walls of the house,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47it becomes an entirely different living space.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54POOL WATER RIPPLES
0:17:55 > 0:17:57My idea of heaven is to have a pool...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01..directly off the bedroom.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I think if you're going to build a luxury house, and this is,
0:18:04 > 0:18:09let's face it, a luxury house, then, for me, that's what it's all about.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16But even us mere mortals, you know,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19who live in ordinary, domestic places,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23flats and bed sitting rooms and suburban houses,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25we can glean something from this.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28We can. I mean, this is a really lavish house, a really expensive,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31lavish house, but the best thing about it is free.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36It's daylight. It's beautiful light that comes flooding in everywhere.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37And we can all use that.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Shh, don't say anything.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Every country has its archetype in terms of houses.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50In England, it's the country cottage.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52In Australia, it's a veranda house.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55In the American Midwest, it's the prairie house.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57And in Portugal, it's the courtyard house.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00And this is very much an archetypal Portuguese house.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Here's that car I told you about.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04- Hop in.- This?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- Yes!- This?- Yes!
0:19:09 > 0:19:10Come on.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12How many horsepower has it got?
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Half a horsepower.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14PIERS LAUGHS
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- As much as that?- Yeah.- Actually, your visor matches my jacket.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Oh, you can really rock a visor, Piers.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23- Shall we have that round of golf, then?- Yeah.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35But there's only so far you can get in a golf buggy.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38And we have to travel hundreds of kilometres to our next destination.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43We're going into the medieval heart of Portugal.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Penela is a hilly farming region known for its vineyards,
0:19:49 > 0:19:54olive groves and hilltop towns, with roads designed for horse and cart.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01- Tiny town.- Tiny streets.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03This absurdly large car.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07- I don't think we're going to get through there.- No, I don't think we...
0:20:07 > 0:20:09CAROLINE HUMS NERVOUSLY
0:20:09 > 0:20:10Piers, how are you going to get out of here?
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I'm actually a really good driver. Trust me.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Yeah, yeah, ooh! Slow down, slow down.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- OK, now I'm going back.- OK.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20I think... Stop!
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Stop! Stop! Stop, Piers!
0:20:23 > 0:20:24SENSOR BEEPS RAPIDLY
0:20:25 > 0:20:26Mind her frog.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29I'm going back, I'm going back, I'm going back.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33She said go up that way.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- No, I can, I can do it.- He's an architect, he won't listen to me.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40All right, OK, good this side.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42- Good this side.- Look at that.- Very gently.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47This town's not big enough for us, Piers.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50You've done it, you've cracked it.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52Hola. Obrigado.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- There we are.- Oh.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- What's wrong with that?- Easy. - Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Maybe we'll get into less trouble on foot.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12That's a lovely view.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13Isn't that gorgeous?
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Too perfect to be real.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19It is. Every bit of this land has been terraced for probably 2,000 years,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- hasn't it?- Makes it very, very beautiful to look at, doesn't it?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Cos it carries your eye all over the place.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30And very difficult to place a building because, actually, how do you not destroy those terraces?
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Built as a second home for a British couple seeking a change of pace,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38our next house delivers exactly what they were looking for.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43Fresh air, magnificent views and plenty of space.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48This dramatic holiday home, set in a former olive grove,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51is hidden behind a simple, rustic entrance.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Look at the depth of it. Seriously, look.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55This is... I mean, you could lose me in here.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57It's opening.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59CAROLINE LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Bloody hell.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Do you know, by rushing into the house like that,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07you've rather missed this beautiful entrance.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09This reveal. I mean, this is beautiful.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14This is a tiny, three-mil thick bit of steel which frames this entrance and,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18in a way, stops you seeing into this dry-stone wall.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Which is beautiful. I mean, this wall is lovely.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24- I mean, it's really lovely. Tactile. - I love the juxtaposition of this steel,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28the smoothness with the roughness of this beautiful hewn rock.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- Yeah.- Clever, isn't it?- Lovely.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32And very beautiful.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Shall we go and try make an elegant entrance this time?
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- Yeah, you'd better have a go this time.- Yeah, OK.- I'll just stand here and fall about.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Beyond the traditional facade,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Casa na Gateira dramatically reveals itself.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49# Suddenly I see
0:22:49 > 0:22:50# This is what I wanna be
0:22:50 > 0:22:52# Suddenly I see
0:22:54 > 0:22:56# Why the hell it means so much... #
0:22:56 > 0:23:00This house is so embedded in the landscape that you can only really
0:23:00 > 0:23:04understand its unconventional snakelike shape from the air.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Time now to see how it works inside.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13This is presumably the same levels,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16the same shape that the landscape had before there was a house here.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19You know, if you followed this outside, this terrace would continue through.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- In exactly the same way that the olive trees are growing...- That's right.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25..just the olive trees would be here, only we're here instead of the olive trees.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29You're literally following the profile of the land all the time.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34I mean, you know, you would never design a kitchen with a step in the middle of it,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37but, actually, that probably was the level of the ground.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40They've decided to keep that terrace visible, which is beautiful.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42And it works, for a space.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47- It really does work.- And it leads you to what must be the main event, this extraordinary view.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The challenge for the architect was to build a house that stepped down
0:23:54 > 0:23:57the hill with the existing terraces.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59This has resulted in its unusual form.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04At the highest point is a garage, a small gym, and a guest bedroom.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11A staircase leads down to the other levels, with an open kitchen,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13living room and dining space.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Beyond is the main bedroom and another one for guests.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21By separating each part of the house,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24all of the rooms are given access and views to the outdoors.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Appropriately, in a region known for its wine,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37the architects have used cork on some of the walls.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41A local material with a complex texture and soft to the touch,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43it looks great.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50The use of cork in this house is absolutely right, because cork has been
0:24:50 > 0:24:55harvested in Portugal for over 300 years and it's done manually, because
0:24:55 > 0:24:57they haven't found a mechanical way of doing it.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02So, people have been slicing the bark off these trees and using it in their
0:25:02 > 0:25:04homes for such a long time.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06It's wonderful to see it used here,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09not just decoratively but also acoustically.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Because in these predominantly concrete houses,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and we've seen a lot of them, acoustics can be a real problem.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18And this just deadens that bouncing sound.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Works really well.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26This is clever.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31You can come through your wardrobe, your dressing room,
0:25:31 > 0:25:32open this little secret door,
0:25:32 > 0:25:36sneak out there and have a cup of coffee in the early morning shade.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42And then the bedroom, very, very simple.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Just pure white design.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Mandatory panda.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52And a bathroom that makes the most of the view.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56And, out here...
0:25:59 > 0:26:01..another lovely outside space.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06The sunshine first thing in the morning.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10This is where I'd sit.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21The hierarchy of spaces in this house are really well considered,
0:26:21 > 0:26:22beautifully organised.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I mean, the kitchen is the command centre,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28right in the middle of the house, looking at everything,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31looking at the view, of course, but looking at every corner of the house.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And I sense this is where the action is.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37And of course, then, in front of that is this main living room,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40organised along the terrace at the view.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57Houses like this that are very open plan do need more living spaces that
0:26:57 > 0:27:02you can shut off, if you really do want an intimate, private moment.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Excuse me, I'm trying to have an intimate, private moment.
0:27:08 > 0:27:09All right.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I think I might make myself scarce.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19The geometry of this house is complex
0:27:19 > 0:27:21and difficult to understand at first glance.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26But if you draw the landscape, the house makes total sense.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30And, in many ways, you wonder how it could be any other way.
0:27:30 > 0:27:36If you draw the diagram of how you move from one terrace to the next,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38what you end up with is...
0:27:39 > 0:27:43..a set of spaces that just encapsulate the route
0:27:43 > 0:27:48you would have taken down, across the terrace.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Even the pool here is another terrace.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56And what you have is the integrity...
0:27:57 > 0:27:59..of all of these terraces...
0:28:00 > 0:28:02..retained. And that's pretty rare.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Usually the shape of the ancient landscape,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08when you put a new building in it, is demolished.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12That's absolutely the opposite to this building,
0:28:12 > 0:28:13and that's why I love this house.
0:28:15 > 0:28:20This rural retreat was built for British couple Neil and Shirley.
0:28:20 > 0:28:26And they used an appropriately 21st-century method to build a very modern home.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30It's kind of an internet house in that we found the plot online,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33we found the architect online, and we designed it with them,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36and the four of us came up with this design,
0:28:36 > 0:28:41which they nicknamed The Snake, because the house does snake down the landscape.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Why did you decide on Portugal?
0:28:44 > 0:28:49Research online showed that there was land available here that was affordable.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52There were good architectural practices.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54We didn't want golf courses and beaches.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59- No.- We wanted vineyards, hills, mountains, countryside.- Views.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01And that's really why we ended up here.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05When you saw The Snake, I mean, it's kind of...
0:29:05 > 0:29:09It's a much more interesting building that some people might have wanted, I think.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Yeah, I mean, it's all about form following function.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17One of the reasons for the shape is the two guest bedrooms have got their
0:29:17 > 0:29:20own little corridors, so, during the day,
0:29:20 > 0:29:25we can be together all we like but, in the evening, people get peace and quiet.
0:29:25 > 0:29:30So, that's partly how we've ended up with this, kind of, three-headed snake.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Why did you want to build a contemporary house?
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Just an opportunity to build a living space
0:29:39 > 0:29:41from square one.
0:29:41 > 0:29:46This is probably the only opportunity we'll have in our lifetime to
0:29:46 > 0:29:51create something that's just completely designed for how we want to live in it.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54So...
0:29:54 > 0:29:57That's a great opportunity to have and we think we've made the most of it.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00But are you enjoying life here in Portugal?
0:30:00 > 0:30:02Oh, yeah, I like it here.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04I mean, I just find it so relaxing.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Just looking at that view, I just love it.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13The architects Vasco and Patricia
0:30:13 > 0:30:15have come to talk to me about their approach,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17and how they designed the house.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Your clients were two British people that had never really spent any time
0:30:24 > 0:30:27here. How was that as a process for you?
0:30:27 > 0:30:33They specifically chose this place because they were not familiar with it.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37And they want to have this balance and come close to nature,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and they can have loads of space for each room.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43What did they say when you showed them this?
0:30:43 > 0:30:44I think they were surprised.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48My feeling was that they didn't quite know what to think of it because it
0:30:48 > 0:30:52was weird, it was not easy to perceive.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54The shape seemed complicated.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59I think that when we started describing the experience that we wanted them
0:30:59 > 0:31:03to have of the site inside the house and throughout the house,
0:31:03 > 0:31:08then they understood that it could be very simple on top of the landscape.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13And building this house in a place where there are very few new houses,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16certainly no new houses that look like this,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20technically they level a site, and they put something in it,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23they build a big fence around it, how was that?
0:31:23 > 0:31:24When we arrived here, it was all here.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28I mean, the vineyards were beautiful to look at,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31and the scent of the olive trees of the neighbour,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34the sounds of the nature nearby, everything is here.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38And if you do as little as possible,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41I think you have more a feeling of being part of this.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48CAROLINE: Casa na Gateira is clearly the result of successful and happy
0:31:48 > 0:31:51collaboration between architects and clients.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56I feel that we've been in Portugal for four days.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00We don't really understand what it is, as a...
0:32:00 > 0:32:03..as a culture within its own right.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08It's tricky, Piers, because it's difficult to reduce Portugal down to one
0:32:08 > 0:32:09defining thing.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13And, for us, in a way, it's what Portugal isn't that makes it nice.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17- What do you mean?- It's not Spain. - It's not Spain. And it's not France.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20- I've never been a Francophile. - What's the best thing about Portugal?
0:32:24 > 0:32:26- The climate.- Yeah.
0:32:26 > 0:32:27The people.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Low key. It's not brash.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32It's very at ease with itself, isn't it?
0:32:32 > 0:32:35It's at ease with itself, yeah.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Neil and Shirley clearly enjoy all the simple pleasures that Portugal
0:32:39 > 0:32:41has to offer.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46And I really appreciate how they've worked with the architects to make a
0:32:46 > 0:32:50house that isn't ostentatious and responds to this ancient landscape.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Time to leave the olive groves inland and head for the coast.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03Portugal has 850km of rugged, Atlantic coastline,
0:33:03 > 0:33:07so the architects here find themselves facing the dual challenges of
0:33:07 > 0:33:10tricky terrain and extreme weather.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17We're visiting a house that has dealt with these challenges in an original way.
0:33:19 > 0:33:20It's a tiny country, Portugal.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24But, in a way, you feel this could go on for ever,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26like being in the Australian outback or something.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31And here, the soil seems to be so sandy and dry.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34I think this piece of land here gets very windy.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37I mean, it's very exposed to the Atlantic, this isn't Mediterranean country.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39This is Atlantic country.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Is it hard to build houses in this sort of landscape?
0:33:41 > 0:33:43If you sort your foundations out, you're fine.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46A lot of your money will be in the ground here.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48Making sure it doesn't just gradually sink into...
0:33:48 > 0:33:50- ..into the sand.- I like that in a house, don't you,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52that it doesn't gradually sink?
0:33:52 > 0:33:55I think that's important in a build.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58It's here. Unprepossessing gate, quite like that.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03Scrubland, isn't it? They've built in pine scrub.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06It's quite nice, though.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Oh, I can see it. I can see it.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12This house has been built on a huge 61-acre site for a
0:34:12 > 0:34:14free-spirited financier and his family.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21I'm interested that it doesn't give much away, does it?
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Really is nestled, isn't it, into the dunes.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34Casa Monte, or Dune House, as it's affectionately known,
0:34:34 > 0:34:39has two artificial sand dunes that buttress the sides of the building
0:34:39 > 0:34:40and lead up onto the roof.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47You do know what I'm going to have to do now, don't you?
0:34:47 > 0:34:50- I dread to think.- It's making me feel I have to walk on the roof.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54- Steady.- Steady on, girl.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58I like the fact that the path becomes the house.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01I like the ability to be able to...
0:35:01 > 0:35:04..survey the surrounding area very quickly.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07But it's also where we can understand what the house is and, actually,
0:35:07 > 0:35:08the house is in a way quite simple.
0:35:08 > 0:35:14It's an X, it's a cross, and there are two little internal courtyards.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15It's lovely, isn't it? I mean,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19you get a real sense of place because we are quite high now.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21You can see into the forest.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24When viewed from above,
0:35:24 > 0:35:27the unusual shape of this building becomes apparent.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35The illusion is of a modest house,
0:35:35 > 0:35:40half hidden beneath man-made sand dunes that conceal its true size.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51It's a fascinating building, a stylish, secret den,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54nestling within a pine forest.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- This is the front.- I've always liked what I call,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01in an old-fashioned sort of 1930s way, a storm porch.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05But, also, I love this really raw, crude concrete.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07I mean, this is what they do around here.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11In England, curiously, we use it for really important public buildings.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Here, this is the stuff you can make cottages out of.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17It's crude, it's raw, it's cheap.
0:36:17 > 0:36:18- Just like me.- Just like you.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22THEY CHUCKLE I saw that coming!
0:36:27 > 0:36:29And we are outside again.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31We are, we are not underground at all.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39I thought it would be dark, I thought we were coming into an underground bunker,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43but it's beautifully light, and you can have a view
0:36:43 > 0:36:46wherever you look.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48This is the lightest bit of the house, in the middle,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51and I get now why the legs are pulled apart,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54because you can see right out into landscape.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59In plan, Dune House is a large, crooked cross shape,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03buried beneath man-made sand dunes.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07The first leg contains garaging and a guest apartment.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Two more truncated legs provide four family bedrooms and bathrooms,
0:37:11 > 0:37:13each leading onto protected terraces.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18An open-plan living and dining room that look into the garden and pool
0:37:18 > 0:37:21are in the fourth leg, with the kitchen alongside.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25It's an ingenious shape, which creates several intimate areas,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29each one with a different relationship to the landscape beyond.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32A big living space. This is the other leg.
0:37:32 > 0:37:33It's a big space.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35And this curved wall is unusual,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38and I guess that's because this leg has then been pulled away from the
0:37:38 > 0:37:42other limb to give you a big courtyard inside, and of course this roof,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46this ceiling, slopes right the way down to about five foot.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48I like the fact that you can use it in different ways,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52because when it's cold and windy, you'd close off these windows,
0:37:52 > 0:37:55you'd sort of go to the other end, the sort of lower ceiling end,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58the more cottage-like end of the room, light a fire.
0:37:58 > 0:37:59Person-sized space down there.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03Exactly, short person size space down there.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06And yet obviously when it's warm, open it up,
0:38:06 > 0:38:08and you're just at the poolside all day.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12But also in winter what's great is the sun will flood in, flood in,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15hit this floor, that floor will absorb all that heat,
0:38:15 > 0:38:19re-radiate it at night, so you can bask down the end there,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22in the knowledge that you've gained all that heat for free, actually.
0:38:22 > 0:38:23Free heat, I like that.
0:38:25 > 0:38:31The architect has created a house that can cope with an extremely variable climate.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35He's used shutters to reduce summer glare,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39and orientated most of the windows south to increase solar gain in winter.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43And he's topped it off with a cruciform roof.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45X marks the spot.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49What I hadn't appreciated when I was on the roof is that this whole roof
0:38:49 > 0:38:55surface is a hyperbolic paraboloid, it's a flat plane that is twisted,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58so it's a double curvature, it's always curving in two dimensions.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01And of course you can do that with concrete.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Not only is this house a hyperbolic paraboloid,
0:39:05 > 0:39:07ahem,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09but there's also loads of shiny concrete.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21They've made everything out of it, they've made the bed, the bedside table.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27It's very clever, that one material that binds this house together.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32It's everywhere, even in here,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34and I like it very much for use in a bathroom.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38It's so easy to keep clean, stiff brush, damp cloth, job done.
0:39:43 > 0:39:48And beyond the house, acres of ancient pine forest.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53There are lots of things to enjoy about this house but the thing I love
0:39:53 > 0:39:56best is its proximity to these pine trees.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Not only do they look beautiful, but,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01oh, they smell wonderful, too.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Please, Caroline, put the tree down.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11This house, organisationally, is pretty simple.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14I mean, there's a building that to all intents and purposes could have
0:40:14 > 0:40:17been organised as a rectangle, and there's a side that you drive up to,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19and you arrive in the front door,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22and then there's a side that faces south.
0:40:22 > 0:40:27The key trick of this building is that the house has been pulled apart,
0:40:27 > 0:40:33been massaged into an almost starfish-like shape.
0:40:33 > 0:40:39But what you gain in doing that is a building that has landscape sitting
0:40:39 > 0:40:45around it, and that landscape can thread right the way into the heart
0:40:45 > 0:40:47of this house.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Critically, then, the whole house is only ever,
0:40:51 > 0:40:57wherever it is, only one room deep, so every single room, wherever it is,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01wherever it is in the building, has a view both ways.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03And that is really special.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10This unusual, light-filled home is definitely a one-off,
0:41:10 > 0:41:15and owner Andre is going to give me the lowdown on its creation.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20The thing I'm most interested in finding out is about how you first saw this land.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23Do you know this land from before?
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Well, we knew the region from before.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28I love going to the beach,
0:41:28 > 0:41:33and so we used to come a lot to this beach here nearby.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36I mean, it feels to me like you've sort of said,
0:41:36 > 0:41:38make somewhere easy to live.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42We did say that and mostly, we wanted to be very, very simple.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46You know, the materials are very basic, we don't have a lot of furniture,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49we don't have paintings, because we really wanted very, very, very, very simple.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52But the actual design, when he first showed you,
0:41:52 > 0:41:56when Luis showed you the design, a bird's eye view of the house,
0:41:56 > 0:41:57that's not simple.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59How did you cope with that?
0:41:59 > 0:42:00It was very unusual.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- Yeah!- I remember the first impression I got,
0:42:03 > 0:42:07it looked like some letter from some unknown alphabet.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Yeah, yeah, no, it is like that, yeah.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11But it made a lot of sense, to be honest,
0:42:11 > 0:42:15and it was not very difficult to buy into the idea.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20The idea came from Lisbon-based architect Luis Pereira Miguel.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24He's passionate about building houses that respond to the natural environment.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26As you start designing the house,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29it was clear that we would have to do something that had to
0:42:29 > 0:42:33take advantage of the sand, so, as you can see,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36this is completely made out of sand.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39It was very important to build the dunes to get this connection.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Of course, every element in architecture has a price,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46so explaining to a client that he has to spend money on sand is quite
0:42:46 > 0:42:48difficult, but he
0:42:48 > 0:42:50agreed, and in the end I'm very happy with it.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53This is a house that really is a piece of landscape, isn't it?
0:42:53 > 0:42:54It's embedded in the ground.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58It is completely, I think it's much influenced in land art,
0:42:58 > 0:43:01more than architecture.
0:43:03 > 0:43:09Luis used 120 tonnes of sand relocated from the site to create the dunes.
0:43:09 > 0:43:14As sand is difficult to build on, the ground works alone took two months.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Perhaps the trickiest part was the roof,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21as its complex geometry had to be set out in timber formwork,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24before it could be cast in concrete.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28And the internal courtyards, what are they about?
0:43:28 > 0:43:29They are for cross ventilation,
0:43:29 > 0:43:34but also for getting nice spaces outside of the house,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37spaces where you can think, or you can meditate,
0:43:37 > 0:43:40have your breakfast or read your book.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45So now, a few years on, how do you feel coming back now,
0:43:45 > 0:43:47and seeing this in this landscape?
0:43:47 > 0:43:48I find the house still beautiful,
0:43:50 > 0:43:51which is good, I think.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55And another thing about this house is that you cannot really say that
0:43:55 > 0:43:58this is a house from the '80s or from the '90s,
0:43:58 > 0:44:03and I'm very happy to be here after those years to see that the house
0:44:03 > 0:44:05still is impeccable.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10It is a house built on a piece of land meant for building,
0:44:10 > 0:44:14but it still feels very like nature is boss here.
0:44:14 > 0:44:19- Yes.- What do you love most about spending time here?
0:44:19 > 0:44:23I love everything, you know, I love that this is a house that we enjoy
0:44:23 > 0:44:25with friends. We enjoy the summer life here,
0:44:25 > 0:44:29and it's a house where my children were born, and grew,
0:44:29 > 0:44:34so it's got a lot of very emotional memories.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38You know, we like being completely with no neighbours in sight.
0:44:38 > 0:44:44That privacy is wonderful, and, yes, we love this landscape.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52The house is a very discreet intervention in an unspoiled forest.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58Andre, the owner, was saying to me that he loves this place,
0:44:58 > 0:45:02because it's all about living a kind of wild and free life.
0:45:02 > 0:45:07I think that's right, and it's rare to be in a house that's only ever four metres wide, wherever it is.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10You're constantly, wherever you are in the house, pushed,
0:45:10 > 0:45:14pushed right up against nature, and that's pretty good.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16It's fantastic, and in this place,
0:45:16 > 0:45:21that actually means being pushed right out into the most wonderful pine forest.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29Our final destination is in Portugal's far north,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31a place famous for its natural beauty.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36It's a popular region for hikers and holiday-makers.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43Due to the altitude in this region of Portugal,
0:45:43 > 0:45:46the architects were asked to produce a property that would cope with cold
0:45:46 > 0:45:50weather, and also take advantage of the beautiful woodland landscape.
0:45:52 > 0:45:53I don't think we can be far away now.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Steep valley side, facing
0:45:56 > 0:45:58north, I think.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01- Is that it?- Can you see it? - I can see something...
0:46:04 > 0:46:06- Right.- Here we are.- Excellent.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13Casa Geres is hidden, built on a hillside.
0:46:13 > 0:46:18The road leads to the rear, and in order to fully appreciate the house,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21we need to walk all the way around it before we go in.
0:46:21 > 0:46:26I really like the idea of not revealing anything at all as you arrive.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29It's a good way to meet a house, isn't it, Piers?
0:46:29 > 0:46:33I think we should just see what we can discover.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37A natural stream running down a valley has been diverted and transformed
0:46:37 > 0:46:39into a series of pools.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41Look at this waterfall.
0:46:41 > 0:46:42- Oh!- Are you all right there?
0:46:42 > 0:46:45No, I nearly was in the drink, then.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48You know, the Victorians would have gone mad for this, it's a fernery, basically.
0:46:48 > 0:46:49We're going mad for it, you're going mad for it.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52I am! I really think it's extraordinarily beautiful,
0:46:52 > 0:46:58and I love the way it's sort of just another part of your journey around
0:46:58 > 0:47:00this house, and we've only just started.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10The house is like a large cabin, perched on the mountainside.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12The platform is made from concrete,
0:47:14 > 0:47:18with a building above a much more lightweight combination of steel,
0:47:18 > 0:47:22timber and glass, with framed views out into the woodland.
0:47:26 > 0:47:31Our first real glimpse of the house and the scale of it is phenomenal.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34It's really lovely the way the concrete embeds the house in the ground,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38and then there's this very lightweight timber wrapping over the top.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41It's a lovely way these two bits of building have come together.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44It's really monolithic and I have to confess I have a
0:47:44 > 0:47:47love of buildings that don't have small, domestic openings,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50but have big planes of material.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54Already, we've been here a few minutes, and there's so much going on.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57- It's terribly powerful.- It is.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04I mean, what a great entrance shaft, and there's no other word for it.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07There's something really wonderful about the simplicity of it,
0:48:07 > 0:48:13because you know by now there's going to be a real treat when you reach the bottom.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20- After you, my lord. - Thank you.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25The long, concrete steps are very theatrical, concealing the view
0:48:25 > 0:48:28until it's revealed to you from inside.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32The house is anchored into both the hillside behind it,
0:48:32 > 0:48:34and the bedrock below.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39At one end is a five-metre high bedroom area,
0:48:39 > 0:48:44separated from the main house by a small courtyard, and, inside,
0:48:44 > 0:48:47the bedrooms and bathrooms are accessed from a mezzanine,
0:48:47 > 0:48:52which overlooks the double-height living space below.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55Oh, what a great room. I mean, this is a huge space.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00It's much bigger... I mean, I knew it was going to be quite a big room, but this is enormous, isn't it?
0:49:00 > 0:49:02It reminds me of a saying my old tutor used to use,
0:49:02 > 0:49:06which was every house should have a room where a child can get up to speed.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09- What about an adult getting up to speed? - I don't know, shall we give it a go?
0:49:09 > 0:49:11- Yeah, go on.- All right, you have to go, too.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13I'll start here. All right.
0:49:13 > 0:49:14One, two, three, go!
0:49:14 > 0:49:16- First one to touch the end! - No!
0:49:19 > 0:49:21You have to do a tag, now!
0:49:24 > 0:49:28This space is designed to work as both an intimate family room and a place
0:49:28 > 0:49:31to entertain larger gatherings.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34I do like the idea of having a room that you can do anything with,
0:49:34 > 0:49:36so you could clear all this out and you could play tennis.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40You really... It's not a classical building with a formal set of rooms and
0:49:40 > 0:49:43antechambers, this is a big, flexible warehouse.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46I like the idea of being able to move where your sitting room is.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48Nothing is tethered.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50It's all absolutely free.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55What transforms this contemporary warehouse structure from cavernous
0:49:55 > 0:50:01to cosy is a subtle colour palette of vintage furniture and a generous use of
0:50:01 > 0:50:03sensuous textiles.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05I'm going to take the weight
0:50:05 > 0:50:07off my slingbacks.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13It's very calm in here, Piers.
0:50:15 > 0:50:16It's church-like.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22The colour of the leaves outside,
0:50:22 > 0:50:25the valley with the sun on it, sheepskin and...
0:50:27 > 0:50:29I'm quite weary.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36I might just have a little relax, sweetie.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Caroline's right, this does have a church-like quality, because,
0:50:42 > 0:50:46of course, this is the main hall and the back of the vestry space is the
0:50:46 > 0:50:51smaller spaces, subservience to the main event, which, in this case,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53is a very rudimentary kitchen.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56It's almost like the scullery that a manor house would have had,
0:50:56 > 0:50:59but made in the 21st century, fashioned out of very,
0:50:59 > 0:51:02very straightforward bits and pieces,
0:51:02 > 0:51:06lit by a single shaft of light from above hitting all of this masonry.
0:51:07 > 0:51:12And in here, the depth of this wall, it's four foot thick,
0:51:12 > 0:51:18this wall, and it's taking me upstairs through what looks like an ancient stone staircase.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Upstairs is very different from a church.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32This is industrial steel, this is bridge technology.
0:51:32 > 0:51:37The whole of the top of this house is really one big truss that lifts up
0:51:37 > 0:51:40that timber box above the concrete.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45And what we have up here has a very different character from the room below.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48The room below is big, grand and formal.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50The room up here is much smaller.
0:51:52 > 0:51:53And look,
0:51:53 > 0:51:57there's Caroline Quentin fast asleep and this is a really good place where
0:51:57 > 0:52:02you could bring out your 11-year-old boy and lob things at people below.
0:52:05 > 0:52:06Go away.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08I'm giving you all my sweets.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11Not bad.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20The bedroom has a cabin-like quality.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23This could be on a boat somewhere.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25It's lined in timber from top to bottom.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27Acoustically, it's very different.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29It's really warm.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33And these shutters are really rudimentary.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36They're simple, big pieces of timber.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40The top is held open just by a timber prop,
0:52:40 > 0:52:42the bottom one is hung by a chain.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44Again, this structure here,
0:52:44 > 0:52:48this is just all the exposed bolt heads and this is really simple,
0:52:48 > 0:52:52pretty unrefined steel, there's nothing fancy about it.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57But the windows here are sophisticated.
0:52:57 > 0:53:02Unsurprising, as the owner has a company that specialises in
0:53:02 > 0:53:06manufacturing hi-tech frames and glass.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11Jose, Caroline. Lovely to meet you.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15Thank you so much for inviting us into this absolutely wonderful house.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19What's it like living in this house with the family?
0:54:00 > 0:54:04There is something very particular about the way the house is made and the way the
0:54:04 > 0:54:12elements come together because the ground is sloping hillside and on that
0:54:12 > 0:54:15sits this inverted L,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19which is made of concrete and it's the material that grounds the house
0:54:19 > 0:54:23to this hillside, and it cantilevers over the pool at the end and then
0:54:23 > 0:54:26there's that tree with these fantastic autumn leaves.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31And much like a tree that has a canopy held up on a trunk,
0:54:31 > 0:54:36the house above that piece of ground is an almost treelike structure
0:54:36 > 0:54:42because these little posts hold up a box truss
0:54:42 > 0:54:44that sits above this
0:54:44 > 0:54:49and the entire first floor then sits within that truss zone.
0:54:49 > 0:54:55So what you have is a real sense of a landscape that kind of comes
0:54:55 > 0:54:59through, wraps right the way around the house,
0:54:59 > 0:55:03sort of framing the house when you see it in landscape.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09And with those windows, what a frame.
0:55:12 > 0:55:17Coming out into this courtyard space through this glass partition is
0:55:17 > 0:55:20really fabulous because this is what Jose does for a living -
0:55:20 > 0:55:24he works with architects using glass, which is his speciality.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28Not only does that door slide open, really elegantly and beautiful,
0:55:28 > 0:55:33but this one does, too, so opening up this whole riad space.
0:55:33 > 0:55:38A courtyard area that you can use in the summer when it's hot and it keeps
0:55:38 > 0:55:43you in the shade, or even in the autumn, like now,
0:55:43 > 0:55:45you can use these spaces,
0:55:45 > 0:55:49which are quite sheltered when the wind is blowing hard up the valley,
0:55:49 > 0:55:55and it brings you in from the outside into this wonderful master bedroom.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58And unlike the rooms in the other side of the house,
0:55:58 > 0:55:59the other guest bedrooms,
0:55:59 > 0:56:01which are upstairs and small and cosy and wooden,
0:56:01 > 0:56:04this one has much more elegant proportions.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07With a 5m ceiling,
0:56:07 > 0:56:10a giraffe could get a good night's kip in here without getting a crick
0:56:10 > 0:56:12in its neck.
0:56:12 > 0:56:17So you're still connected, so you can still see through the building and all the glass and the wood
0:56:17 > 0:56:21in there, but if you want to be away from your guests or your children or
0:56:21 > 0:56:24something, it enables you to get away and have a little bit of privacy in
0:56:24 > 0:56:27a really beautiful space.
0:56:31 > 0:56:35This house is intimate and impressive, stylish and fun,
0:56:35 > 0:56:39combining stunning architecture and great taste.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42- Quite nippy now, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:56:42 > 0:56:43I'm quite glad we can light the fire.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48I do love the house.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50It's a really elemental building in many ways,
0:56:50 > 0:56:52in terms of how it connects us with nature,
0:56:52 > 0:56:57all the materials and the noise and the textures of everything.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01And the house itself, the wood and the concrete,
0:57:01 > 0:57:03they really complement each other.
0:57:05 > 0:57:06- Just like us.- Yeah.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10Just like us.
0:57:10 > 0:57:14For me, each Portuguese house we've seen has been really ambitious from
0:57:14 > 0:57:16an architectural perspective.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19While at the same time being sympathetic to its context.
0:57:19 > 0:57:25Portugal has been astonishingly diverse in its culture, in its landscape,
0:57:25 > 0:57:28in its people and in its buildings.
0:57:28 > 0:57:29It is somehow, though,
0:57:29 > 0:57:34a nation that sort of keeps itself to itself pretty much and the houses
0:57:34 > 0:57:35have been like that, too,
0:57:35 > 0:57:38but once we've scratched around and tried to find out,
0:57:38 > 0:57:41I've really enjoyed the things that we've discovered.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44And inside, there is a treasure trove.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47They've been subtle, they've been inscrutable, they've been very beautiful.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49Rather like Portugal itself.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51You sound like you've had a good time.
0:57:51 > 0:57:52I have, thank you.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55- Obrigada.- Obrigado!
0:57:55 > 0:57:56De nada.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00- Nae bother.- Nae bother!
0:58:02 > 0:58:04We're sort of Glaswegian Portuguese!
0:58:08 > 0:58:13Next time, we're in Switzerland, visiting majestic mountain homes...
0:58:13 > 0:58:15I mean, it's like something out of a fairy tale.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17..startling lakeside pads...
0:58:17 > 0:58:21- Look at me!- ..and luxurious alpine villas,
0:58:21 > 0:58:26as once again we go in search of the world's most extraordinary homes.
0:58:26 > 0:58:31This is clearly what this entire house is about.