After a Devastating Fire, a Couple Craft a Spartan House From Concrete and Glass

When deadly wildfires broke out in the Pedrógão Grande region of central Portugal in June 2017, they swept across the rural plot that Geneva, Switzerland–based couple Sandra Mudronja and Pierre Vadi had recently purchased. "When we first visited the property in March that year, it had only a ruined barn and a terraced garden planted with olive, citrus, medlar, arbutus, and cork oak trees," says Pierre, an artist. Yellow mimosas and fresh spring grass added to that "vegetal exoticism" the urbanites craved. They imagined a country home with easy access to this landscape. Four months later, its lush flora was decimated.