House TD in Sintra by ESQUISSOS – Monolithic White House

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Modern minimalist house with wooden cladding and elegant garage design

House TD by ESQUISSOS – Arquitetura e Consultoria in Sintra, Portugal is modern housing that combines privacy, eco-friendliness and elegant minimalism. Defined by a white monolithic base and contrasting volumes above it, the architecture is carefully adapted to the unique topography of the plot and the scale of the street, ensuring harmony between architecture, landscape and context.

Project Overview

The House TD project was defined by the conditions of the plot — namely, a significant difference between the natural ground level and access route. This height difference influenced the building's placement, shaping its volumes and spatial hierarchy.

The lower part of the house features a solid white base integrated into the landscape. Above it rise two independent box-like volumes, establishing dialogue with the street level and expanding the architecture towards the horizon.

Design Concept: Site, Scale and Integration

ESQUISSOS approached the project considering three key parameters:

Topography: The sloping ground required a solution that could keep the house at the lower part while connecting to the upper access level.
Privacy and Protection: The enclosed white volume provides shelter from wind and a sense of seclusion, while allowing controlled views outward.
Relation to the Street: The higher volumes are scaled to match the street level and create balance with the surrounding context.

This dual approach — a stable base and elevated boxes — creates a sense of place attachment and visual connection with the environment.

Materials and Spatial Composition

The lower part is characterized by a monolithic white finish, simple lines and clean geometry. This modest palette enhances the sense of strength, permanence and minimalism.

The two upper box-like volumes are presented using different materials arranged in a fragmented structure. This solution adds permeability and rhythm, contrasting with the solidity of the lower part while framing views to the horizon.

The contrast between smooth monolithic walls and lighter, textured upper volumes enhances spatial depth, allowing the house to be perceived as both protective and open.

Interior Spatial Qualities

Interiors are organized with consideration for the natural advantages of the site. Large windows allow light to penetrate deep into the rooms, while carefully framed views maintain a constant connection with the surrounding landscape.

Private zones benefit from high positioning, ensuring privacy without losing views. Social areas are located to facilitate a smooth transition between interior and exterior space, utilizing the protective qualities of the lower part of the building.

Energy Efficiency and Comfort

The architecture is designed with both ecological efficiency and long-term comfort in mind. The monolithic lower part provides thermal inertia, stabilizing temperature throughout the day. Strategic openings allow natural light and ventilation, while orientation enables solar heating during cold months.

Integrating wind protection, optimizing natural lighting and using durable materials, House TD demonstrates how contemporary design can also be internally sustainable.

House TD by ESQUISSOS – Arquitetura e Consultoria shows the firm's ability to combine contextual sensitivity with bold contemporary design. Its monolithic white base and contrasting elevated boxes transform plot limitations into architectural opportunities, offering a house that is private yet connected, protected and open, efficient and elegant.

This housing redefines suburban life in Sintra, proving that thoughtful design can balance ecological efficiency, local identity and contemporary aesthetics.