Garden—Natura
Photography by © Ivo Tavares
The site of this project—The Garden condominium in Matosinhos, distinguished by unique characteristics in Portugal and featuring a private green park of approximately 3 hectares—became a central axis for Visioarq’s conceptual development. In addition, the design had to respond to a building placement and volumetry strongly constrained by the existing subdivision.
The greatest challenge of the Natura Building was to reconcile the seemingly impossible: creating generous openings to the exterior while organising the typologies in a way that ensured the highest possible level of privacy.
Visioarq designed a building that would “live” as fully as possible from its outdoor spaces and surrounding landscape: a transparent structure grounded in formal simplicity, where the reflection of the natural setting and interior light would become fundamental elements of the proposal.
The relationship between the building and the green park is assumed as the project’s most important premise. This is achieved through large, glazed surfaces that allow the interior spaces to function as “covered terraces open to the landscape,” extending beyond the conventional balcony areas. Recessed balconies with substantial depth were chosen to ensure comfortable use without constraints. By providing nearly all ground-floor apartments with private gardens, the intention was to draw the park’s greenery into the plot as much as possible, making it an integral part of the existing green structure.
The use of natural wood flooring in bedrooms, living rooms, and circulation areas—combined with an emphasis on natural light and white lacquered carpentry—creates a sense of comfort and notable interior brightness.
The exterior palette is composed essentially of three materials: white marble, glass, and white render. Once again, the aim is for the building’s simplicity and lightness not to compete with the surrounding natural landscape, the defining element of The Garden condominium.
