Macau Valley II

Location
Gaia, Portugal

Area
4,662m²

Start
2025

Status
Under construction

The project for the second hill of the Macau Valley continues the architectural principles established in the first building, while responding directly to its own topographic and urban conditions. Located on the opposite side of the street, the new volume reinforces the dialogue between both interventions, completing the valley’s spatial composition. The building adapts to the terrain’s natural slope, integrating level variations as a generative element of the design. Rather than imposing a rigid geometry, the proposal shapes itself around the existing morphology, establishing a strong connection between the public realm and the built form while aligning with municipal guidelines, sun exposure and the surrounding urban fabric. The volumetric strategy combines efficiency and spatial quality. The building rises from a carefully articulated base, with lower floors embedded in the terrain and upper levels progressively defining a clear, balanced urban profile. This approach optimizes the relationship between buildable area and exterior space, allowing apartments to benefit from generous daylight, cross–ventilation, and open views. Outdoor areas are distributed across the building to ensure a high quality of living throughout the different levels, reinforcing the idea of a cohesive residential community rather than privileging only the upper floors. As with the first hill, the project promotes a vertical extension of the landscape. Balconies and terraces create a layered façade that introduces greenery and softens the building’s scale, establishing continuity between the ground plane and the upper dwellings. The building’s positioning and orientation were carefully considered to improve solar exposure and enhance environmental performance, contributing to a more sustainable and comfortable living environment. The building geometry is oriented towards the south, improving solar gains in winter and well shading in summer, mitigating the need for mechanical climatization. The project transforms the site's constraints into an opportunity to consolidate the Macau Valley vision: a pair of complementary buildings that shape a coherent urban landscape while offering bright, efficient homes with generous outdoor spaces. This second intervention completes the valley concept by combining architectural continuity, sustainability, and a contemporary approach to residential living, designed for present and future lifestyles.