Casa Alva

A low glass house in the pines near Comporta — one long roof, a garden on every side and rooms that open to the wind.

The site

A clearing in a stone-pine forest, ten minutes from the sea. The owners wanted to hear the trees from every room and see the sky from the bath.

The idea

One thin concrete roof floats over a glass enclosure. Sliding walls turn the living room into a terrace, and deep eaves keep the summer sun off the floor.

How it feels

In the morning light comes in low across the garden; by noon the house is shaded and cool. The family says it feels less like a house and more like a covered clearing.