In the parish of Santa Margarida da Serra of Grândola, a municipality in the southwest of Portugal’s Alentejo region, this remote house strikes a contrast with the harsh landscape of dry vegetation and a smattering of cork and holm oaks. With a built area of 500 square meters, the house evokes the tradition of the Portuguese fortress. It is partly sunken at its southwest corner, rising progressively in a northeast direction. The walls present few openings: a corner gateway, the small entrance door, and, to the east, a broad terrace looking out to the surroundings. Clad on the outside with whitewashed stonework, the construction is based on self-supporting brick walls holding up a structural system of timber beams and boards.

The walled property features three volumes bordering a large courtyard on the north, east, and west. They contain the bedrooms, the living room and kitchen, and the staff accomodations and garage, respectively. The communal areas are organized in a sequence of spaces separated by symmetrical pocket doors.