Location: Portugal
Designed By: Alvaro Leite Siza Vieira
A House as an Environmental Filter:
The Casa Tolo is a truely remarkable house. Upon arriving at the house you would not assume such a grand house was at your feet. The way in which the Casa Tolo was designed was to not fight the topography of the land but rather build with and into it. This becomes the key characteristic of this houses design and is exceptionally unique. The house is layered down the hill to the south optimising solar exposure, and also creating views of the lucious hillside from every platform/room of the house. Because the house has been built in with the slope of the hill, it is also naturally cooled by the earth.
A House as a Container of Human Activities:
The Casa Tolo may be a magnificent house, but just like every house has its flaws. In my opinion the functionality of the house could be better. Although it was designed on a very low budget, I do not think the residence works together as a house, rather a group of seperate houses or spaces located together on a hill which are then joined together by one long external staircase. I believe the same affect could’ve been achieved using different spacial distribution.
A House as a Delightful Experience:
Although the functionality and form of the Casa Tolo could be better, it is nevertheless a magnificent and unique house, and without the structure is has may not be so globally renowned as it is today. Through intelligent designing the Casa Tolo creates views like none other. The use of materials help to enhance the experience of the house within its context; being made up of mainly concrete and timber, Casa Tolo sits in the ground like one big boulder.
References:
Author Unknown (n.a.). Casa Tolo – Issue 05. Accessed March 16, 2011. http://www.concrete.net.au/CplusA/issue5/casa.php
Design Boom (2010). Casa Tóló by Alvaro Leite Siza Vieira. Accessed March 22, 2011. http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/3668/casa-tolo-by-alvaro-leite-siza-vieira.html
