Architects:Álvaro Siza Vieira

Area:260m²

Photographs:Pedro Cardigo

Manufacturers:Africa Stone,Arch Valadares,Carvalho e Batista e Cª Lda,New Terracotta,OM - Light,SPSS Design Studio,TEV2

Category:Cultural Architecture,Houses,Refurbishment

Coordination:Arquitecto Álvaro Siza Vieira

Project Team:Arquitecto Álvaro Fonseca

Technical Team:Arquitecto Álvaro Siza Vieira

City:Matosinhos

Country:Portugal

Álvaro Siza writes in the descriptive memory of the renovation of the Casa d'Abreu Neto: "It was on April 20, 2022, that I returned to the first house I designed, this time to renovate it. After 65 years since its construction, it was natural for a profound intervention to be necessary while maintaining the authenticity of the house…". The Casa d'Abreu Neto is now a space for public enjoyment, establishing itself as a living museum of modern Portuguese architecture and preserving the family memory that gave rise to it.

Located in Matosinhos, on the northern coast of Portugal, the house is part of a set of four iconic dwellings that marked the beginning of Álvaro Siza's career. Built between 1954 and 1956, in the architect's hometown and the d'Abreu Neto family, the house emerges from a deep relationship with the place, the sea, and the experiences linked to fishing and local identity.

The requalification, carried out between 2022 and 2024, was promoted by Maria Manuel Neto, granddaughter of the original clients, with the aim of perpetuating the legacy of her grandparents and opening the house to the community interested in architecture, history, art, and culture. Classified as a Municipal Interest Monument and in the process of being classified as a Public Interest Monument, the house faced significant obstacles during the intervention: the absence of institutional support, exclusively private financing that prolonged the process, the scarcity of original materials for replacement, and the difficulty in finding skilled labor with sensitivity to intervene in a unique work. The main premise was the preservation of the architectural identity of the work.

The project is based on the idea of continuity over time. More than restoring, the aim was to reactivate the house as a living organism, capable of accommodating new uses—architectural tourism, guided tours, and cultural events—without compromising its original identity. The influences present in Siza's initial project are reinforced: Portuguese vernacular, Japanese architecture, Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Gaudí, and the principles of the Bauhaus, visible in the domestic scale, functional clarity, and careful relationship with the exterior.

Set on a plot with different levels, the building composed of the house, garage, laundry, and garden, is organized clearly and functionally. The program is distributed over two floors connected by two staircases. On the ground floor, there is the atrium, service area, social bathroom, two bedrooms, and living and dining rooms. On the upper floor, there are four bedrooms, a bathroom, and a balcony that spans the entire width of the façade, articulating areas of permanence and circulation, and intensifying the relationship with the exterior. The spatial configuration favors natural light, human scale, and a gradual transition between interior and exterior, reflecting a way of living attentive to everyday needs.

According to the descriptive memory of 1954: "The foundations and elevation walls are made of Perpianho with hydraulic lime and cement mortars, and the interior walls are made of hollow brick… The roof is covered with Lusa tiles on a wooden structure… The floors are made of wooden blocks, hydraulic mosaics, and tiles… Wooden frames for varnishing." The plasters are textured and give the house a very specific character. The intervention preserved the original materials and restored the wooden shutters, which had previously been replaced with PVC ones. The construction techniques respect the original methods, with minimal and careful interventions. The main materials—stone, wood, marble, cortiça, glass mosaics, hydraulic tiles, and ceramic tiles—reinforce the tactile and sensory dimension of the space.

A unique element of this requalification is the direct involvement of Álvaro Siza, who, nearly seven decades later, was able to intervene in his first work and design new furniture for the house, as well as the identification logo for the Casa d'Abreu Neto project, reinforcing the authorship continuity and the integrity of the work.

Today, the Casa d'Abreu Neto offers a rare opportunity to experience the architecture of the 1950s through daily use, establishing itself as a fundamental contribution to the preservation and dissemination of modern Portuguese heritage.

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