Gloma House is a single-story residence on a gentle slope near Ansião, Portugal, designed by Bruno Dias Arquitectura with the permanent contact between the building and the surrounding landscape as its organizing principle. The house is elevated slightly above the ground and connects to the site at specific points, from which a garden extends directly outward. Rather than sitting on the land, the building sits above it while remaining tied to it.
The plan is organized around a central axle that runs through the house and performs 2 functions simultaneously: it resolves the spatial program and acts as the boundary between the social and private areas. Small patios created by the building's form articulate the relationship between interior and exterior, providing moments of connection with the surroundings throughout the house rather than concentrating them at one facade.
The exterior outline is defined by 2 concrete slabs with organic shapes. Their contours determine the building's perimeter and generate the variety of interior zones within: spaces that are not bounded by walls but that open outward, with the natural landscape serving as their only enclosure. The material palette stays consistent with Bruno Dias Arquitectura's broader practice: concrete and pine wood, both used directly and without imitation. The simplicity of the materials is deliberate, aligned with a landscape that offers its own complexity.
