Cabanas no Rio, Portugal | Aires Mateus


Cabanas no Rio is a pair of waterfront refuge cabins located in Comporta, Portugal, designed by Lisbon studio Aires Mateus.



The two rustic structures of a combined area of only 26 sq.m. offer a rural retreat for a pair of inhabitants to spend some time by the river. 

The two minimum spaces, a living - cooking area and a bedroom with a toilet and a sheltered outdoor shower are totally clad in reclaimed timber inside out. They also interact with the shape of their roofs, responding to the archetype of a house.

The cabins were both built off-site and were transported to the site on the back of a lorry.

Photos © Nelson Garrido


Description from Aires Mateus:

The wharf is medieval and assembled with wood. Its identity is kept long beyond the material’s resistance. An identity that allows to change, to replace, keeping all the values.
The project develops two spaces: one to unwind with the support of a kitchen integrated in the same material of the walls; other as a sleeping area with a small bathroom and a shower.
The construction is entirely finished in reused wood, subjected to the weather that will keep on changing it. The forms, highly archetypal, are designed by the incorporation of the functions in these minute areas, and by the varied inclination of the ceilings that tension the spaces according to their function.










Plan © Courtesy of Aires Mateus



Via: Dezeen