Fala Atelier Completes Cookie Cutter Retreat in Portuguese Hillside
Three semicircular concrete volumes integrate into the landscape for digital nomad accommodation.
1Design Concept and Integration
Porto-based Fala Atelier designed the Cookie Cutter Retreat in Sobral de Monte Agraço, Portugal, featuring three semicircular concrete volumes. Partially embedded into a hillside, the structures utilize grass roofs to blend into the natural landscape. Bright blue chimneys and glazed fronts serve as the primary visual markers for the retreat.
2Geometric and Spatial Logic
The retreat consists of three buildings scaled as small, medium, and large versions of the same semicircular form. They share a consistent geometric vocabulary without adhering to a rigid site composition. Diagonal walls slice through each volume to separate public and private zones, creating a fluid relationship between the buildings.
3Architectural Influences and References
Fala Atelier incorporated internal formal relationships inspired by architects Frank Gehry, Toyo Ito, and Alvaro Siza. The studio treated fragments of these architects' plans as objets trouvés, integrating them into the retreat's layout. This approach creates a dense collection of small rooms contrasted against expansive, nearly empty living spaces.
4Materiality and Color Palette
The structures feature concrete frames adorned with round columns, glazed fronts, and tilted metal canopies. Interiors utilize a consistent palette of white-painted and tile-clad walls, punctuated by blue and fluorescent-yellow details. This unified visual language ensures that all three dwellings are immediately recognizable as part of the same family.
5Functional Versatility for Nomads
The largest of the three volumes serves as an adaptable hall designed to host a wide variety of activities. Its front portion features an open-plan layout, while private spaces are tucked behind the diagonal walls. This configuration provides the flexibility required for the retreat's target audience of traveling digital nomads.
6Landscape as a Fluid Game
The studio described the placement of the buildings as a fluid game within the landscape. By allowing the structures to enjoy considerable freedom in their positioning, the architects avoided a static arrangement. From a distance, the buildings almost disappear, leaving only the windows and chimneys to announce their presence.
7Broader Portuguese Architectural Context
This project joins other notable recent architectural works in Portugal, such as Corkinho’s pavilion dedicated to silence in Alentejo. Additionally, António Costa Lima Arquitectos recently completed a warehouse-style housing block in Lisbon. These projects reflect a growing trend of experimental and site-specific residential architecture currently emerging across the Portuguese landscape.
8Significance of the Retreat
The Cookie Cutter Retreat represents a shift in how hospitality spaces are designed for remote workers. By prioritizing geometric consistency and landscape integration, Fala Atelier creates a cohesive environment that balances communal and private needs. This project highlights the potential for modular, design-led architecture to redefine temporary living spaces.