Elliptical House by Mário Martins Atelier: Form and Landscape

The Elliptical House, designed by Mário Martins Atelier, emerges from the windswept slopes of Lagos, Portugal, as a refined study in geometric purity and contextual harmony. Completed in 2016, this residence occupies a privileged site along the Algarve coastline, defined by expansive views and a tradition of whitewashed forms. Mário Martins and his team have crafted a dwelling that anchors itself in its context and transcends it, offering a quietly confident response to the natural and cultural landscape.

Elliptical House Technical Information

• Architects^1-9: Mário Martins Atelier
• Location: Lagos, Portugal
• Gross Area: 400 m² | 4,300 Sq. Ft.
• Completion Year: 2016
• Photographs: © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG

It is a relationship between the real and the imagined, between physical and virtual spaces.

– Mário Martins

Elliptical House Photographs

Design Intent: The Elliptical Form as Concept and Expression

At the project’s core lies an elliptical plan, a gesture that resonates as much with the fluidity of natural forces as it does with a desire for spatial continuity. The house’s deliberate geometry emerges as both object and void, defining the central patio while simultaneously framing views outward to the surrounding landscape. Martins’ exploration of fullness and emptiness, weight and airiness, constructs an architecture that is at once sculptural and permeable. The form evokes the elemental processes of erosion and accretion, shaped by the wind and the sea. This organic approach moves beyond purely formal considerations to engage with the ephemeral qualities of light and shadow, creating an architecture that feels in dialogue with the shifting conditions of its site.

The balance between the real and the imagined further underpins the project’s conceptual clarity. While the elliptical form suggests a static object, it also proposes a condition of spatial ambiguity, where interior and exterior are fluid and porous and where the boundaries between built and unbuilt space are purposefully obscured. This solid yet permeable, precise yet adaptable duality articulates a fundamental architectural question: how can form remain open to place dynamics?

Spatial Qualities and Materiality: Seamlessness and Lightness

The spatial organization of the Elliptical House is anchored by the central patio, an open void that gathers and distributes light throughout the dwelling. Circulation is orchestrated as a continuous loop, reinforcing the sense of movement and dissolution of spatial boundaries. Rooms flow seamlessly around this central courtyard, emphasizing connectivity rather than hierarchy. The result is an interior landscape that privileges the experience of fluidity and lightness, where the distinctions between room and passage, interior and exterior, are intentionally blurred.

Materiality plays a critical role in this spatial narrative. The house’s monochromatic white finish is not merely an aesthetic decision but an integral part of its dialogue with the site. In a region where white is a cultural constant, the finish allows the house to assert itself and recede, maintaining a visual coherence with the surrounding architecture while articulating its contemporary expression. Detailing is meticulous and restrained, privileging the tactile qualities of the materials and the seamless junctions between them.

Elliptical House: Integration and Dialogue

Situated on a gentle slope that descends toward the sea, the Elliptical House negotiates its context with a light touch. Its sculptural form does not impose itself but extends the topography, shaping views and modulating the relationship between landscape and dwelling. The dialogue with the adjacent house to the east is handled with care, acknowledging the need for continuity in scale and materiality while maintaining a distinct architectural identity.

The house’s integration into the broader Algarve landscape is more than visual. It participates in the region’s architectural tradition, reinterpreting the vernacular language of whitewashed volumes and open courtyards through a contemporary lens. This sensitivity to place and precedent situates the project within a larger conversation about the role of architecture in shaping and responding to natural and cultural environments.

Beyond its immediate context, the Elliptical House speaks to broader architectural concerns: how to reconcile formal clarity with the demands of landscape, create spaces that are both protective and open, and craft an architecture that is simultaneously of its place and of its time. In its elliptical plan and sculptural form, the house proposes a residential architecture model rooted in context yet expansive in its ambitions, a quiet yet powerful statement about the potential of architecture to engage, shape, and be shaped by its surroundings.

Elliptical House Plans

Elliptical House Image Gallery

About Mário Martins Atelier

Mário Martins Atelier, established in 2000 by architect Mário Martins, is an architecture and urban planning firm based in Lagos and Lisbon, Portugal. With over three decades of experience, the studio has developed a diverse portfolio that includes single-family homes, collective housing, tourist developments, public and private facilities, and urban renewal projects. The firm is recognized for its commitment to contextual sensitivity, sculptural clarity, and the seamless integration of architecture within the natural and cultural landscapes of the Algarve region. Their work has been widely published and exhibited, reflecting a philosophy that balances innovation with a profound respect for tradition.

Credits and Additional Notes

1. Lead Architect: Mário Martins, Arq.
2. Project Team: Sónia Fialho, Rui Duarte, Nuno Colaço, Sara Silva, Rui Santos
3. Engineering: Raiz Engenharia, Lda.
4. Builder: Ilha&Ilha, Lda
5. Window Glasses: Guardia
6. Window Frames: Cortizo
7. Sanitary Ware: Catalano, Sanindusa, Grohe
8. Kitchen: J.Dias
9. Carpentry: Eduardo Martins & Filho, Lda.