Designed by architects Aires Mateus, this gorgeous retreat takes old masonry buildings and turns them into new, contemporary structures set upon the sand.
A house in Portugal is clad with cork blocks, which is surprising, but also makes sense seeing as Portugal harvest 50% of the world's cork. Arquitectos Anónimos ® designed and built the home in 2007.
In historical Sintra, Portugal, the ruins of a centuries old stone house remained on a development lot. Rather than tearing it down, the Organica Architects firm built a new structure, Casa Cabrela, around the ruins. The new home merges the beauty of modernity and history, in one structure.
Cláudio Vilarinho wins first prize to design the Engineering Research Institute at Minho University in Portugal. The building's protective facade was inspired by solar titanium nanotubes.