House over Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino
This house by Portuguese architect Miguel Marcelino rests on top of an old warehouse in Torres Novas, central Portugal (+ slideshow).
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_1.jpg)
Miguel Marcelino extended the existing building upwards to create the single-storey residence, which overlooks a valley planted with olive groves.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_3.jpg)
The warehouse was first built in the 1980s and was originally planned as a two-storey structure, although it has taken 30 years for the second phase of construction to take place.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_8.jpg)
Marcelino used brickwork for the exterior of the extension, then added white paint to unite the two floors.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_6.jpg)
A protruding concrete slab divides the two storeys and creates a balcony around two sides of the building, while a similar-sized roof slab forms a canopy overhead.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_17.jpg)
A bridge with a steel balustrade leads to the house's entrance from the adjacent hillside and is positioned alongside a large olive tree.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_9.jpg)
The entrance hall opens out into a living and dining area, featuring a sliced-off south-east corner that increases the size of the surrounding balcony.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_23.jpg)
Three bedrooms are positioned along the east side of the house, while the kitchen and bathroom sit on the opposite side.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_12.jpg)
Concrete walls and ceilings are exposed in each room and timber panels covers the floor.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_20.jpg)
Photography is by Joao Morgado.
Here's a short description from the architects:
House on a Warehouse
The briefing was to build a three-bedroom house on top of a warehouse built in the 80's, where part of the roof was made with a flat slab and a small balcony, precisely with that idea of later building the house.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_14.jpg)
Given the constraints of the existing warehouse, the house shape turns out to be automatically set: a box that rests on the existing structure.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_18.jpg)
The rooms are placed to the east, the toilets to the west, as well as the kitchen, looking to a centennial olive tree.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_15.jpg)
The existing balcony will be maintained and "duplicated" as a shading element.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_19.jpg)
The living room is placed south where its south/east corner is diagonally cut in a way that the balcony could enlarge and offer an outdoor area protected from the sun and rain, overlooking the valley.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_21.jpg)
Miguel Marcelino has completed another recent project also in Portugal - a rural family house with red concrete walls and three separate terraces.
![House on a Warehouse by Miguel Marcelino](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/10/dezeen_House-on-a-Warehouse-by-Miguel-Marcelino_24.gif)