In 2018, Maria João Fradinho, from the firm FRARI - architecture network, designed her own home and office, on a 940-sqm plot, located on the outskirts of the city of Ílhavo, close to the iconic porcelain manufacturer Vista Alegre. With nods to industrial architecture, Arch House keeps in tune with the neighbouring buildings, with the façade ensuring an alignment with pre-existing architecture. The façade has however been stylised, to allow light to permeate through and to ensure views, in a symbolic game of association with the presence of the arch. The house recedes with relation to the urban façade, creating a front courtyard that allows the main façade to be completely open, composed of large glass windows. Inspired by ship containers, the series of volumes in the interior creates a full double height in some areas, recreating the great industrial environment of a battleship. This arrangement of different roof heights enlarges the spaces and makes them more wide-ranging.
