Artistic direction and design coordination on site for a private house above the Óbidos Lagoon, winner of the German Design Award 2025.

The house takes its name from the old street it stands on, Beco da Pedra de Águia. Designed by UNIT4 (Stuttgart), it sits on a hillside plot in sandblasted exposed concrete that echoes the rough texture of the rock, with a curved roof drawn from an eagle’s wing and large glazed openings towards the lagoon, the ocean and the surrounding landscape. The building is energy self-sufficient.

As project managers with Independer . problem solver, we were the link between the architects’ drawings and what was actually built. Our role covered the artistic direction of the project: researching and specifying materials and finishes, drawing how they meet in 2D and 3D, following the details on site and solving what the drawings had not foreseen.

It also meant designing and making pieces for the house. A blown glass object set on a tree root uncovered during the excavation, custom elements in wood, and the ceramic work Baier Family Tree Rings, conceived, glazed and installed by the studio in the garden, one ring for each member of the family.

The project received the German Design Award 2025 in the Architecture category.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
artistic direction, design coordination on site, material research and specification, 2D and 3D detailing, custom pieces in glass, wood and ceramics

LOCALIZATION
Foz do Arelho

PHOTOGRAPHY
David Franck Photography

CATEGORY
other projects

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