It would have been with this degree of certainty that ten years ago, João Feijão would have declared, “It has to be here!” The place, a pair of two 17th century barns, built to store flour and cereals from the mill known as Moinho da Maré, mustered some serious arguments in its favour: its layout and lines, its history, the closeness to the river. It suggested a blank canvass, a family setting for the young veterinary surgeon and manager, now living with his daughter.
What followed were 10 years of work on the project, working closely and sharing with the architect Manuel Aires Mateus; the last four, involving actual building work and intensive meetings. The sensibility and respect for art, architecture and design and the identification with the architect’s language offered total creative freedom.

“I knew that the house he would design would be fluid and ‘good for living in’. To offer this quality of life to the development of my daughter, who is now nine years old, was also something that always motivated me”, João states.
The outcome of this meeting is what elevates architecture into an art. The result is a vast sculptural volume, sheer poetry in terms of light and shape. Like a box within a box, the structure seems to thrive on the symbolism of opposites like a silent and intimate skin, protecting the family routine.