The Antwerp, Belgium–based architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen is a giant in the interior design world. After earning a degree in architecture from the Sint-Lucas School of Architecture in Ghent and a few stints in offices, Van Duysen founded his eponymous firm in 1989. Today he is acclaimed for everything from high-end architecture to product design: He has designed collections with Zara Home since 2002, and since 2016 he has been the creative director for Molteni&C.
Van Duysen adores Comporta, a buzzy beach destination on the Portuguese coast south of Lisbon, and built Casa M for himself in nearby Melides. Now he is the architect of Club Comporta, a 405-acre project for JNcQUOI and Amorin Luxury Group set to open in 2028. Gay Gassmann caught up with him to discuss his vision for pared-down living set among the dunes.
Gay Gassmann (GG): What is your personal history with Comporta?
Vincent Van Duysen (VVD): It all started 15 years ago when I fell in love with the region. It’s unspoiled, protected, and beautiful. It’s a rare combination of rice paddies, dunes, ocean, umbrella pines, and storks. I thought if I found a plot, I would construct my own holiday home there. One year later, I found land in Melides, adjacent to Comporta, and built Casa M. This is now my sixth summer in the area.
GG: The master plan for Club Comporta calls for 64 villas, just over half a mile of private beachfront, and many amenities. How did it all start with Paula Amorim and JNcQUOI’s Miguel Guedes de Sousa?
VVD: We met through a mutual friend during my first summer here; they came to visit me at home Casa M. They fell in love with it, and Miguel told Paula, “He is going to do our project.” The construction is already underway: The beach club opened last year.
GG: Can you tell us about the process?
VVD: First, we met with the clients to review all aspects. Once the layouts were locked in, we made a model, and then we started the visualization of the program. Next came the communications. With the photographer Francois Halard, we created a story around the project to activate the senses in a visual and poetic way. It is about how you delve into the project with your heart. This is what my architecture is all about.
GG: What is your philosophy for Club Comporta?
VVD: The architecture is solid, and it merges with nature. The color of the concrete is the color of sand, and the tiles that I use are the colors of tree bark. At my home, Casa M, and at Club Comporta, the wood is Brazilian, as I wanted to bring in the historic link between Portugal and Brazil.
The lifestyle here is about experiencing the exterior and the interior: It’s almost like living outside. Like at Casa M: When the windows are open, the sand dunes are literally rolling into my home. There are only a few materials, and all the views relate to the exterior.
GG: How do you describe your style?
VVD: I am a modernist at heart. I love an open plan where there are no barriers and one room flows into the other. But more than at Casa M, with Club Comporta I hope to emphasize vernacular architecture. The chimney and the fireplace are essential for Portuguese architecture, even in a small house; I have reinterpreted them for the Club Comporta houses. Every entrance is a 22-foot-tall dome where the light welcomes visitors.
GG: And what about sustainability?
VVD: We are trying to restore as much of the landscape to its original state as we can using local species. Our building materials are concrete, wood, and tile. The vision is for all the houses to disappear into nature. For us, nature is our ruler.