VILA MILU, ESTORIL , 2020-2023

In 2020, Vila Milu in Galiza, Estoril, was in a state of ruin when it was discovered by our client, who decided to transform it into his own home. The house was no longer habitable and was almost a historical vestige in an area of great architectural variety. The proposed rehabilitation involved a strategy of material recovery, clarification of its formal characteristics, and an extension to a new volume with distinct, markedly contemporary form and materiality.

Annexes, sheds, and attached elements such as the exterior staircase were demolished to reinforce the understanding of the original house. Due to structural reasons and unsuitability for living conditions, the interior of the house was demolished, but to maintain and enhance the original form of the house, the exterior walls were reinforced and repaired with a coating in a color similar to the original, the roof was replaced with identical ceramic tiles, and most of the exterior openings were maintained in their original form, with stone masonry, replacing the window frames. Two new openings were created on the west and east facades at the level of the 1st floor, differentiating the period of intervention by their distinct shape and dimensions.

The house extension's volume develops on the ground floor in a compact and well-defined way, attached to the north and west sides, opening onto the courtyard with glazing. The intention is for it to stand out from the existing building and mark the period of intervention; therefore, it presents a distinct form, material, and color, with cladding in black cork agglomerate. The new structure increases the interior area of the dwelling and allows for better organization and lighting. At the same time, it organizes and creates different outdoor spaces: an area to the north with two existing umbrella pines; a larger area to the south for outdoor living; and a new space on the roof itself, at the level of the first floor.

Internally, a complete remodeling and reorganization of the interior spaces and circulation routes was carried out, seeking a better functional distribution and larger spaces with improved lighting and fluidity. In this sense, a vertical connecting staircase was introduced inside, and a spatial and material continuity was sought between the existing and the new. The essential living spaces are located on the ground floor, facing the garden to the south. The upper floor is a unique and independent space because it is served by a bathroom.

In the outdoor space, the living area created by the new volume is complemented on the opposite side by a swimming pool made of the same material as the interior flooring. The pathways were designed using stone salvaged from the demolitions. They cross the garden to the annex-studio, built in a corner of the existing plot, using the same constructive grammar as the new volume, establishing a visual connection.