Manuel Aires Mateus has completed an almost invisible house in close proximity to the alqueva lake in southern portugal. , which was completed for a private client, is topped with a green roof that appears as an extension of the surrounding landscape. the property measures just 174 square meters (1,872 sqf), unobtrusively occupying its 21,100 square meter (227,119 sqf) site.

Faced with the boundless extents of the Alqueva lake, the house requires a centre: a protected courtyard embracing the water.Amid a wide natural landscape, the scale of the house is that of the patios and superior dome. They are the sole visible elements, painted in radiant white.

The Building uses the terrain to cast a dome that covers the social areas and is the life centre of the house. An inverted dome intersects it and creates an opening that lights the space, shaping its precise geometry and limits. The bedrooms open onto circular patios. 

The residents and their visitors enter the building by descending a stairwell that leads into the heart of the home. the kitchen and living areas are directly connected to the protected courtyard, while three bedrooms open onto circular patios. painted in radiant white, these patios — which also function as lightwells — are the building’s sole visible elements when viewed from above.