CABANA

Subtly deployed on the plot at Saco do Mamanguá, in Paraty, – a tropical fjord with access only by boat – the project is a refuge in the forest. In this context, the disposition of the volumes was determined by the position of the trees and untouched vegetation of the Mata Atlântica. 

With natural preservation as a priority, the proposal was to divide the construction into three volumes, following the perimeter of the buildings previously existing on the plot: a boat garage, close to the water for entry; the Cabana (portuguese word for cabin), on a higher level, privileging unobstructed views; and finally, at the bottom of the land, a caretaker’s house and technical areas. The former and the latter were requalified from the original state they were found. 

Built on the perimeter of the old construction, the main volume has just the essentials: a balcony, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Here, the most important thing is the natural space, and the construction is only a support. 

In logistical issues, since the land was remote and only accessible by small boats, we opted for light structural systems and parts with small dimensions. With this in mind, Glued Laminated Timber (Glulam) was the material adopted for the structure, while for closings, modular panels composed of painted navy plywood boards, all with commercial dimensions of the boards and with apparent wood joints. This approach allowed easy transportation and the construction site to act as an mounting system, ensuring speed, low environmental impact and higher quality of parts. 

Projectually, the residence is very simple: a wooden deck, a large eave supported on slender pillars of circular section, and a linear wall cutting its length, which in turn, protects the kitchen and suite. 

The social area is actually a large balcony, open, connected to nature, sometimes protected by the canopy of trees, sometimes catching sight of the sea between the leaves. At the perimeter, a wooden bench plays the role of guardrails. This space has awnings as the only closure. At the back, the service and private areas receive modular panels that delimit the space. The doors and windows also function as panels, aligned with the partitions and with exposed solid wood uprights. 

In the spacing between the beams, hatches were installed, allowing the breeze to flow through the space when opened. 

Due to the fact that the place does not have infrastructure for electricity, it was decided to install an energy generator, arranged next to the caretaker’s house, as a technical area. The water is collected from the source of running water. The shower is heated by gas. 

PM HOUSE

Built from two unified sites, PM House was designed for a couple with two children and a large collection of art that is part of their daily life, not constituting only a decorative collection. Tha house has a non-orthogonal shape, which influenced its implantation not perpendicular to the street. The design with staggered balconies on the upper deck benefits the rooms with air circulation and the incidence of natural light. Every room has the same view and the same inclination. The walls were lined with randomly-penned cementitious plates to gain an apparent concrete effect in contrast to the glass guardrail, which in turn brings lightness to the ensemble.

The façade has an external shutter that can be closed when necessary. At the front and side of the building, textured glass panels rest on the metal frame, with wide-angle frames.

The idea was to transform the terrace into a continuity of the house. Thus, the floor is continuous, you can not see the window frames and there are few pillars, with the intention of increasing the possibilities of circulation.

GURUMÊ TIJUCA

This is a project for the restaurant Gurumê, which specializes on Japanese cuisine. The name is a witty play of the word ‘gourmet’ and aims to emit a feeling of simplicity and sophistication, concept which the office sought to carry through to the design.

The restaurant area contains two collective tables with a winding shape that stimulates people’s interaction. A more ‘private’ space is formed by a tunnel structured by a succession of geometrically defined porticoes cladded with thin slabs of cumaru timber. Towards the back one finds the sushi bar, comprising of corian table tops where the client is invited to watch the dishes being prepared.

The materiality of the project, a combination of oxidized copper and timber, was a choice seeking to evoke feelings reminiscent to fishing world: its culture, its boats and its ships. Meanwhile, the hydraulic tiles found on the floors are all hand-crafted and neutral to guarantee the focus rests on the colors of the wood and oxidized copper.

POA HOUSE

POA House is developed in three staggered levels, interconnected by a great wooden staircase that rests on the natural profile of the site. The access level houses the office and exercise room located at the bottom of the terrain, in addition to the dependencies of service and garage. The middle floor houses the social sector (living room, kitchen, garden, swimming pool) and two suites. The upper deck houses the master suite.

On the three floors, the circulation is concentrated between two gables of apparent concrete that show the materiality and atmosphere of the house. The levels are articulated by the wooden staircase. At the intermediate level, the circulation gains a double-height ceiling and the concrete gable gains traces that let the garden glimpse. The room can be completely integrated into the garden with the full opening of the floor-ceiling frames.

The north facades (both the main and facade of the block that houses the suites) are protected by vertical wooden bricks, which are the continuation of the rafters that compose the apparent structure of the roof. The brise-soleils, in conjunction with the bib and glass frames, work as filters for the sun light and guarantee privacy.

AGUA APT

The project for this penthouse in Ipanema was developed as a suspended house, rethinking the traditional concept and scale of an apartment. With view to the sea and Dois Irmãos hill, the clients, art collectors, asked us to the apartment have a certain visual connection to the beach. From this, the physical limits of the apartment’s social areas were diluted through aluminum and glass frames, responsible for the integration of the living room with the large veranda, which is covered in a sand tone deck, landscaped areas and a view to the blue skyline brings feeling of being on the beach.

In a single axis, the living and dining rooms, outdoor living and gourmet area, office and veranda are arranged. To break the rigidity of the built mass and allow these spaces to take on the character of leisure areas, they were designed in full and empty spaces, so that the central portion (outdoor living and gourmet area) is interrupted by glass and open to the veranda, receiving glass roof.

In the interiors, the surfaces of the social spaces are covered in natural materials, creating a neutral base for the artworks, which bring color and liveliness to space. The Gaivota armchair by Ricardo Fasanello and Magrini and Mocho benches by Sérgio Rodrigues stand out. The upholstery of some of the furniture is covered with fabrics in specially selected colors from some of the artworks, such as the Circle armchairs by Hans Wegner, bringing the casualness of a beach house. At dining room, the table consists of ten Anel chair by Fasanello.

All office walls are covered with wooden sheets and a sliding panel hides the TV.

The closed spaces receive wooden floors with the same alignment as the external deck, separated by the linear drain in a brushed finish. At the ends of the veranda, the floor is lowered to a few centimeters and covered in stone, transformed into water mirrors (which gives rise to the apartment’s name). On the right side, next to the office, there are lounge chairs, while on the opposite side, an area with a private breakfast table for the master suite.

Along with leisure, the apartment is also provided with a massage room, sauna, gym and swimming pool.

On the west side, the intimate areas are protected (four suites, including a master suite with closet and individual bathrooms) and a second office. The nuances of the sea and beach climate are also carried over to the fabrics of the bedrooms.

Meanwhile, as a veil to protect the spaces from direct sunlight and ensure privacy, the north façade is protected by an extensive wooden trellis and garden areas, with landscaping designed by Isabel Duprat, reinforcing the idea of a house.

MOZAK PEPÊ

Mozak Pepê is the result of the invitation of a traditional construction company from Rio de Janeiro to Bernardes Arquitetura to propose an residential building on a land directly facing the beach. Seeking to highlight the privileged views of the sea, the project’s volumetry is created from the slabs like a cascade on the last three floors, which, in turn, provides greater natural light inside the units that have balconies.

From the sidewalk, the gate in vertical wooden slats protects the interior and gives it a certain identity. On the ground floor, the volume of the reception, janitorial and technical areas is indented from the perimeter of the upper slab, accommodating car spaces over the eaves of the left side, which protects them from the direct sunlight and rain. The fluid landscaping in curved lines and tropical species involves the other free areas, whose layout opposes the rationality of the building.

Materially, there is the application of the same wood as the gate on the surfaces of the entire ground floor (indoor and outdoor), lining and barbecue grill wall that divides the balcony to the two apartments, and linear bench on the central entrance. Portuguese stones cover the entire external floor up to the reception, in a gesture of visual permeability as an extension of the sidewalk into the building.

Rethinking the traditional concepts of living and the notion of scale of the units, Mozak Pepê was designed as a set of suspended houses, favoring unobstructed views, as if the sea were a natural canvas in the interior; natural lighting and ventilation; and integration of spaces.

The plans have ample and flexible spaces, capable of adapting to the different programs of the residents. On the penthouse, the pool is protected by a metal frame with electronic awnings.

The side façades are protected by linear panels between the floors, as a single surface, so that the same width and finishing, mimicked between them, can be opened or closed individually. On the other hand, integrating architecture and landscaping, the flowerbeds on the perimeter of all floors, mark the identity of the set.