On the banks of the Douro River and in the valleys of Marco de Canaveses, lies an extensive, rocky, and quite steep terrain. The client's intention for the land was to build a 5-star hotel overlooking the river – Quinta da Piela – and also to construct a house for their own use next to it – Casa da Figueira.

The magnificent landscapes of the mountains and the river, where the surrounding natural environment has been little explored by humans, reinforce the potential for developing a tourism project in this area. However, the creation of new buildings was constrained by a number of factors: the topography of the land, the boundaries of the nature reserve, the solar orientation, and local building regulations.

The house's design was developed to respect the aforementioned constraints and, above all, to meet the client's wishes and their way of living in the house. Thus, it was proposed to build a single-family house of type T3, distributed over 3 floors developed on 3 levels, bringing the implantation closer to the various terraces of the existing terrain. In parallel, the construction of an annex housing an outdoor swimming pool and retaining walls was proposed.

In terms of architectural language, the building is characterized by a dichotomy between the contemporary and the traditional. The main façade is characterized by large glazed openings facing the Douro River, with elements clad in anthracite-colored zinc. This façade, with its predominantly light and translucent appearance, contrasts with the remaining façades in yellow granite with irregular finishes and ogival black slate soles, nailed in a scale pattern. The final image of the house was created in such a way as to highlight that Casa da Figueira and Hotel Quinta da Piela are the result of the same architectural thinking.