Jaime Dias-house - architect António Vicente de Castro - 1961

In 1961 António Vicente de Castro built the Jaime Dias House, using lattices, terraces,vertical laminar elements and a feature, which according to his daughter Luísa de Castro is common in several of his works, on the ground floor the use of color or different materials, which can create a contrast between the different elements of the home, making the forward and backward jumping more apparent.

The building consists of three floors, with the ground floor intended for the common areas, living room, kitchen, sanitary installation, service area and bar area. The importance that Vicente de Castro attaches to outdoor spaces is visible in the plan, which creates uneven levels and different places to stay and there is always a relationship with the interior space of the house, even if only visually.

The main entrance is located on the east facade, and one must walk around the building to enter through the garden and a large terrace, which is connected to the living room, in this room a bar has been installed, with a sanitary installation and a dining room. As usual, there is a service area with kitchen, laundry room, bedroom and private access.

On the upper floor there are four bedrooms with bathrooms, two of which have their own balcony. As can be seen in the image, in this project Vicente de Castro has again used the typical 'verandas', with a play of jumping forward and falling back, the use of pergolas and vertical laminar elements that allow a play of light and shadow to make. As a material choice, he chose terrazzo to create a contrast between the floors.

​According to Luísa de Castro, the architect thought carefully about all the elements related to the project, he left nothing to chance, he thought and designed the outdoor space, the garden, the ponds, paths, decorative elements, and the materialb, but he also thought about the interior, of stairs, with their shields, designs with tiles, elements on balconies, benches, tables, bars. He designed unique pieces for each project. Most of his works have been totally modified, as a result of changes made by their owners over the years, in an attempt to meet new usage requirements, but with the characteristic elements of the 'modern movement' being completely altered, or sometimes even disappeared completely.

​“The architectural legacy is characterized by buildings adapted to the prevailing urban planning and which favor detached buildings, favorably located on the sun and integrated into green spaces, separating vehicular traffic from pedestrian traffic; buildings in simple geometric shapes, with modulated elements, built with concrete, steel and glass. In his projects, Vicente de Castro demonstrates a clear and distinct decorative and polychromatic tendency, through the use of opaque materials with colors and textures, creating intense and vivid chromatic contrasts using colored glass ceramics, applying colors to Cobogos or grids, or the simple use of painted stucco”