In the rural area of vila boa de quires just east of porto, the 'house AADD' by portuguese architect helder de carvalho enjoys elevated views of the faraway horizon and green inland scenery. two stacked boxes, a regular white square on a darker inset rectangle creates a dichotomy, offer a visibly public structure with a private mass hidden in its shadows. the entrance takes the user over a series of protruding concrete platforms around a solitary olive tree, an organic touch in front of a rectilinear form. three bedrooms and two living rooms enjoy the company of various qualities of light through the different apertures and terraces that interrupt the continuity of the tiled outer skin.
The lower area contains the kitchen, dining, and social gathering area along with the garage, using the overhang of the primary program to provide much needed shade in the summer months. while the superior volume lives in the sun, the inferior volume lives in the absence of direct light, where a series of edges controls and defines the character of illumination. a skylight floods the hidden void between the site and the lower structure with light without overheating, a powerful element in a dark chasm. the interior in contrast is much more integrated with double-height spaces and visually connected rooms between the two levels. a natural stone wall cuts through the floors also joining the elements with a single plane.