MTMG House by NOARQ – A Contemporary Family Home Overlooking Santo Tirso

MTMG House, designed by NOARQ under the leadership of architect José Carlos Nunes de Oliveira, is a striking single-family residence located in Santo Tirso, Portugal. Completed in 2022, the 882 m² home balances modern architectural design with a deep respect for its natural surroundings, offering expansive views of the River Ave and the city beyond.

Design Concept – Comfort, Light, and Landscape

The clients envisioned more than just a house. Their ambition lay in creating a home defined by comfort, transparency, and natural light. Among their specific requests were an indoor swimming pool, a dedicated elevated resting floor oriented towards the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, and spacious interiors that seamlessly connect with the landscape.

NOARQ responded with a design that stretches longitudinally across the western landscape, ensuring every room captures the panoramic views and natural daylight.

Site and Context

The project is set on a vast 13,750 m² promontory—a rectangular plot with minimal existing structures, aside from a group of proud oak trees and a small ruin. Rather than erasing the past, the architects preserved the granite blocks of the former landowners’ dwelling and stabilized the ruin as a symbolic guardian at the new entrance. This gesture reinforces the dialogue between heritage and contemporary architecture.

Spatial Organization

The ground floor spans 590 m², accommodating the home’s social, leisure, and service areas. This includes a spacious living room, kitchen, guest room, gym, and an indoor swimming pool, along with parking space for four vehicles.

The upper floor occupies 212 m² and is more intimate, housing three bedrooms that open southward onto the terrace roof, ensuring privacy and connection to the outdoors.

At the heart of the design lies a central courtyard, acting as a lightwell and natural ventilation source. This courtyard also serves as a hub, connecting the kitchen, laundry, parking, guest room, and pool with the home’s social and family spaces.

Construction and Materials

MTMG House is built using reinforced concrete slabs and walls, thermally insulated with rock wool panels. The exterior is finished with lime-reinforced plaster, while the interiors feature clean lines with plasterboard walls and ceilings. The construction approach emphasizes durability, thermal efficiency, and minimalist finishes, aligning with both modern living and environmental performance.

Landscape and Sustainability

The project also incorporates a vegetative recovery plan, restoring local ecosystems and planting native species that both protect the garden and support cultivation. This ecological approach ensures that the house not only merges visually with the landscape but also contributes to the sustainability of the site.

MTMG House by NOARQ exemplifies modern Portuguese residential architecture—a home that combines luxury, simplicity, and environmental sensitivity. With its bold geometry, central courtyard, and seamless integration of interior and exterior spaces, the residence stands as a refined example of contemporary living in harmony with nature.

All the photographs are works of Duccio Malagamba