Casa Libre by Mário Martins Atelier: Transparency and Contextual Integration

Casa Libre emerges as a carefully considered response to the site and program in the rolling hills of Lagos, Portugal. Designed by Mário Martins Atelier in 2022, the house articulates a vision of home that prioritizes freedom and lightness while remaining deeply rooted in place. The owners’ close collaboration with the design team ensured that the residents met their aspirations for daily living and reflected a nuanced understanding of the surrounding landscape and climatic conditions.

Casa Libre Technical Information

• Architects^1-13: Mário Martins Atelier
• Project Location: Lagos, Portugal
• Gross Area: 416 m² | 4,478 Sq. Ft.
• Project Completion Year: 2022
• Photographs: © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG

Casa Libre is, and should always be, the result of creative freedom in the search for new and improved solutions, while respecting people and places.

– Mário Martins Atelier Architects

Casa Libre Photographs

Spatial Organization and Experiential Qualities

At the heart of the project lies a central patio, an organizational anchor that delineates two distinct yet complementary modes of inhabitation. Facing inward, the patio provides a secluded, intimate environment that nurtures daily rituals and communal interactions. Conversely, the house opens southward through expansive glazed surfaces, drawing in panoramic views of the bay where the sea and sky converge. This duality defines the experiential character of Casa Libre, offering a dialogue between retreat and revelation.

The spatial organization unfolds across a single floor, with a restrained concrete volume punctuated by carefully calibrated voids. These voids, whether as shaded porticos or as fleeting thresholds of light, choreograph movement through the house and foster a subtle interplay of opacity and transparency. A long swimming pool stretches along the southern edge, anchoring the garden’s horizon and extending the house’s spatial reach. At the western entrance, a shaft of light guides visitors along a deliberate path that culminates in the patio, establishing a sequence that mediates between public welcome and private sanctuary.

Materiality and Environmental Responsiveness

Materially, the house is defined by a palette that underscores the region’s natural character and crafts a nuanced balance between permanence and permeability. Exposed concrete conveys solidity and a monolithic presence, while the wooden slatted elements and decking introduce warmth and tactility. Interior finishes, such as the polished concrete flooring by Mortex and custom joinery by JDias, speak to meticulous attention to detail. These carefully sourced and assembled materials express a commitment to local craftsmanship and environmental responsibility.

The house’s environmental performance is closely aligned with its material strategy. Solar and photovoltaic panels, integrated with heat pumps, ensure high energy efficiency while minimizing visual impact. Rainwater collection systems support landscape irrigation, reducing the project’s ecological footprint. In this way, Casa Libre’s environmental responsiveness becomes an intrinsic aspect of its architectural language rather than an additive feature.

Casa Libre Contextual Integration

Casa Libre’s landscape strategy reinforces its connection to context. A simple, drought-resistant garden envelops the house, emphasizing native plantings and a natural ground cover that evolves with the seasons. The house does not assert dominance over its setting; instead, it becomes part of a living ecosystem that blurs the boundaries between built and natural. The accessible roof and the loosely draped concrete canopy further this integration, encouraging an outdoor experience that transcends the traditional confines of domestic architecture.

In its restrained and contemporary form, Casa Libre reflects a broader Mediterranean sensibility that values thermal comfort, shading, and the mediation of interior and exterior spaces. It is a house that navigates the tension between weight and lightness, between enclosure and openness, and between the elemental and the refined. Its resolution of these tensions speaks to a design ethos that respects the individual inhabitant and the broader cultural and environmental context.

Casa Libre Plans

Casa Libre Image Gallery

About Mário Martins Atelier

Mário Martins Atelier is an experienced Portuguese architecture studio founded in 2000 by Lagos-based architect Mário Martins. The practice, with offices in Lagos and Lisbon, operates across architecture and urban planning, delivering a broad spectrum of residential, public, and collective housing projects. With over 30 years of built work, the studio has earned national and international recognition, participating in exhibitions, publishing monographs, and receiving awards while maintaining a design approach grounded in cultural, environmental, and technical rigor.

Credits and Additional Notes

1. Lead Architect: Mário Martins, arq.
2. Project Team: Tiago Martins, Sónia Fialho, André Coutinho, Hugo Correia, Mariana Franco, Susana Jóia, Ricardo Lopes
3. Engineering: Raiz Engenharia
4. Landscape Architecture: HB-Hipolito Bettencourt-Arquitectura Paisagista, Lda.
5. Builder: Ilha & Ilha lda.
6. Wooden Slatted: Banema
7. Interior Joinery: JDias
8. Interior Doors: J&J Teixeira
9. Timber Flooring: Hakwood
10. Windows: Much more than a window
11. Sanitary Ware: Laufen, Dornbracht
12. Polished Concrete Flooring: Mortex
13. Kitchen: JDias