Design Solution: The design is organized around a triangular form, which unfolds into a roof made of glulam. The name Tangram is also inspired by the shape, referring to an ancient Chinese puzzle involving seven geometric pieces known as tans. Composed of a sequence of triangular planes, this roof acts as a large shelter: it shields the house from the street while opening fully toward the lake. The arrival is intentionally controlled, with retaining walls and landscape forming a visual barrier so that, once inside, the urban context disappears and the interior frames only the trees, lawn, and water.

On the lower level, the social areas include the living room, kitchen, dining, and swimming pool, all facing the lake through large glass panes and generous verandas. Part of the program is embedded into the retaining wall itself, housing the support kitchen, bathroom, and wine cellar, creating an inhabited thickness between house and earth. Here, boundaries dissolve: the pool water seems to extend the lake surface, and the interior and exterior flow together.On the upper level, the private wing gathers a family room and five bedrooms: a master suite, two children’s rooms, and two guest rooms. All open to the view, protected by the wide roof eave and distance from the street. Between structural precision and landscape softness, the house aims to be less an object and more a passage toward nature.

Photo © Manuel Sá

Structure and Materials: The structure is mixed, combining the lightness of timber roofs and verandas with the solidity of exposed concrete slabs and walls, in dialogue with stone retaining walls that hold the terrain’s slope.

Additional Information
Completion date: October 2025
Site size: 1.28 acres
Total construction cost: Withheld
Client/Owner: Withheld

Photos © Manuel Sá

Drawings courtesy Tetro, click to enlarge