Casa Âncora on Portugal's rocky northern coast

Tiago Sousa Arquitecto shapes Casa Âncora to echo Portugal’s rocky coast

Rafael CunhaARCHITECTURE2 hours agoShort URL

Portuguese practice Tiago Sousa Arquitecto has completed Casa Âncora, a 123-square-metre home whose white, irregular volumes respond to the rocky Atlantic landscape of Vila Praia de Âncora.

The house replaces most of an existing building that had been repeatedly altered and no longer formed a meaningful relationship with its setting. Retained stone walls and the site’s granite outcrops became reference points for a new two-storey home organised around views of the sea.

White rendered volumes of Casa Âncora among granite rocks — Casa Âncora occupies a rugged site close to the Atlantic coast. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Casa Âncora viewed within its coastal landscape — White rendered walls contrast with the surrounding granite. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Irregular rooflines of Casa Âncora by Tiago Sousa Arquitecto — The house is composed as a cluster of varied heights and slopes. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Irregular volumes respond to coastal geology

Tiago Sousa Arquitecto shaped the building as a dense arrangement of angled roofs, stepped heights and offset volumes. The composition echoes a rocky formation rather than presenting a single conventional facade.

Existing stone walls were retained across the landscape, while native planting keeps the exterior deliberately informal. This approach allows the new construction to sit alongside the site’s robust geology without erasing its earlier traces.

Square openings punctuate the dense exterior of Casa Âncora — Small openings reinforce the weight of the rendered exterior. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Casa Âncora exterior framed by native vegetation — Native vegetation surrounds the house and retained stonework. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Coastal light enters Casa Âncora through square windows — Openings are positioned to capture changing coastal light. © Ivo Tavares Studio

White massing of Casa Âncora at dusk — The irregular massing reads as a compact object in the landscape. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Square openings frame sea and rocks

Precisely cut square windows puncture the thick-looking exterior in different sizes and orientations. Each opening isolates a fragment of the coastline, shifting attention between the horizon, nearby rocks and changing weather.

The programme is divided across two levels. Living spaces, the kitchen and a main bedroom suite occupy the entrance floor, while two further bedrooms and a bathroom are placed above.

Living spaces inside Casa Âncora with terracotta flooring — The entrance level contains the main social spaces and kitchen. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Terracotta floors and lime plaster walls in Casa Âncora — Terracotta flooring introduces warmth to the pale interior. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Interior of Casa Âncora overlooking the Portuguese coast — Square windows frame selected views of the coast. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Natural lime plaster and ceramic flooring inside Casa Âncora — Walls and ceilings are finished in natural lime-based plaster. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Living room of Casa Âncora by Tiago Sousa Arquitecto — The restrained palette places emphasis on light and framed views. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Window in Casa Âncora frames the Atlantic landscape — Openings create distinct perceptions of sea, land and sky. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Interior staircase connecting the two levels of Casa Âncora — A staircase links the living level with bedrooms above. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Casa Âncora interior with restrained natural materials — Ceramic, plaster and timber form a quiet interior palette. © Ivo Tavares Studio

A concrete structure works with sections of existing stone wall, externally wrapped in an ETICS insulation system. Inside, terracotta ceramic floors are paired with natural lime-based sprayed plaster, while tiled surfaces define the bathrooms.

A roof terrace reconnects the house with the horizon

An exterior stair continues upward to a flat roof terrace. Conceived as part of the sensory sequence through the house, the elevated platform opens a direct relationship with the sea, sun and granite terrain.

Roof terrace of Casa Âncora overlooking sea and rocks — The roof terrace creates an elevated place for observing the coast. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Exterior stair leading to the roof of Casa Âncora — An exterior stair provides access to the flat roof. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Casa Âncora set against the rugged landscape of Caminha — The house follows the shifting levels of the rocky site. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Casa Âncora and its retained stone boundary walls — Existing stone walls remain part of the exterior landscape. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Casa Âncora illuminated against the evening landscape — At dusk, the square openings reveal the inhabited interior. © Ivo Tavares Studio

Casa Âncora seen from the surrounding rocky terrain — The completed home sits between rocks, vegetation and the Atlantic horizon. © Ivo Tavares Studio

The ground-floor arrangement concentrates communal rooms and one suite around the site’s principal views.

Ground-floor plan of Casa Âncora by Tiago Sousa Arquitecto — Ground-floor plan. Image courtesy of Tiago Sousa Arquitecto

Two bedrooms and a shared bathroom occupy the more private upper level.

First-floor plan of Casa Âncora by Tiago Sousa Arquitecto — First-floor plan. Image courtesy of Tiago Sousa Arquitecto

By treating the house as an extension of the coastal geology, the architect sought to balance protection with moments of direct connection to the landscape.

Project Credits

Project: Casa Âncora
Location: Vila Praia de Âncora, Caminha, Portugal
Completion: 2025
Area: 123 m²
Design firm: Tiago Sousa Arquitecto / @tiagosousapc
Photography: Ivo Tavares Studio / @ivotavaresstudio