On the furthest Western edge of the continental Europe (1), facing the awesome expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, is a coast of breath-taking beauty (2). Here bountiful orchards and homely villages, basking in the clear sunlight (3), come to an abrupt and dramatic end to meet the mighty and awesome solitude of the oceanic swell.

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The client has just such a site in mind north of Lisbon for a modern house from which to enjoy this extraordinary landscape. The house needs to be integrated into the natural environment making the most of the magnificent views from the site. It needs to feel modern (4) yet relate to existing building traditions (5). Having lived for a spell in Rio de Janeiro, the client also wanted to add a note of reference to the extraordinary modern architectural heritage (6) of this amazing city.

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The proposal is for a transparent upper floor, open plan in arrangement and fully glazed. From here you can enjoy the peerless vista from the living spaces separated discreetly from one another in an open-plan arrangement. Over this hovers a white floating roof of wafer-thin edges. The geometry of curves of this element is a reference to the great Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer whose work is characterised by the introduction of sinuous lines evocative of the watery and relaxed environments.

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The rear of the house is protected with a retaining wall in stone. It shields the garden areas and adds privacy from the access path to the property. The same material is used to clad the lower floor which forms the base of the house and carries a wrap-around terrace fronting the living areas upstairs. The private rooms of the house are located on the lower floor for greater privacy. The master bedroom, linked directly to a home gym/studio and spa area with direct access to the external terrace and swimming pool, is given the more prominent location.