Vila Utopia is part of a distinctive residential neighbourhood in Oeiras, just fifteen minutes from Lisbon, where several detached houses were designed by different architects within a master plan by Aires Mateus. The development is set near Parque dos Poetas (Santa Cruz Park) and is known for its refined contemporary architecture, carefully balancing individuality and urban coherence.

From the outset, the design addressed two parallel challenges: ensuring privacy for the residents while creating generous outdoor spaces protected from wind and external views. To achieve this, the house introduces a ring-like upper structure that defines the perimeter at the first-floor level — the maximum footprint allowed by the site. The actual living volume occupies roughly half of this base, forming a compact composition of three transparent, overlapping floors.

This arrangement liberates a large courtyard with a swimming pool, around which the main living spaces open. A secondary, narrower patio on the opposite side brings cross-ventilation and visual continuity, allowing transparency across the house. The exterior ring — a sleek surface of anodised, polished aluminium — reflects the changing tones of the sky and surrounding vegetation, reinforcing the sense of privacy and enclosure.

Inside, the architecture is defined by lightness, clarity, and fluidity. The lower floor hosts the living room, dining area, and kitchen, all opening fully onto the patio, dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior. Because the enclosing “ring” wraps only the upper floor, the lower level benefits from dual sunlight exposure, enhancing the sense of openness within a compact urban plot.

Vila Utopia exemplifies the refined architectural dialogue that characterizes the entire development — a balance between individuality and collective identity, openness and shelter, opacity and transparency.