Lights and shadows

Arquitetctos Anónimos®, FFTA House in Vila Nova Gaia

Abstract

Two criteria lie at the heart of FFAT, an interesting single-family home created by Arquitectos Anónimos® in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal: the compact geometry of the exteriors, and the rationality of the interiors, designed to optimize and brighten the living spaces. Problems deriving from the layout of the site heavily influenced the solution that was adopted: the extreme vicinity of another building, standing only six meters from the eastern facade, made it necessary to find a design strategy that would protect the clients’ privacy while ensuring good illumination; the exterior appearance of the building is therefore an outstanding ‘manifesto’, a statement of intent by the architects, who have taken a Middle-Eastern approach to make light, and the true life of the home, flow through the interior, while creating a pronounced ‘closure’ towards the outside world that is accentuated by the dark colour of the phenolic resin used on the facades.