Located on the coast of the State of São Paulo, the sole access to Ilha Bela is by boat. The island is covered by the dense Atlantic Forest throughout almost all its extension and the northern region, facing the continent, has been linearly urbanized, containing those who reside in the City of São Paulo and the local population. The Ilha Bela House by STUDIOMK27 is on a beautiful beach on this northern part of the island, in front of the canal, and its owners make use of it every weekend.
The privileged site looks out to the sea and principal access is via a back-street. A stone volume creates the division between the street and the garden. This volume holds a small storehouse and the technical and utility areas, as well as formalizing the entrances of the house and guaranteeing privacy to the interior. Facing the garden and visible from practically the entire house, a sculpture of Buddha sits on a specially designed space in the stone wall. The clients follow the oriental Hindu philosophy and the architecture sought to respect and incorporate this.
The living room is on the ground floor and opens in its entirety, to the back garden as well as the one in front: the glass doors can be inlaid in niches and disappear. This architectural starting point allowed for total spatial and visual integration with the exterior and, therewith, the pool, the external deck and the veranda become an extension of the living room’s large open doorway. This also made it possible to establish cross ventilation in the social ambiance, greatly improving internal thermal comfort. The kitchen and utility areas are found on the lower floor.
The first floor holds the private area: five bedrooms and a TV room. From the master suite there is a magnificent view to the beach and, just as in all of the other bedrooms, a brise soleil in folding doors permits the light to filter through bamboo, diminishing direct sunlight without minimizing the ventilation.
The house is structured by two lateral stone gables forming a type of porch. The slabs and beams reach to these walls. The living room, volumetrically, with its recessed glass curtains, conform an empty space, while the first floor, of wood and mortar, is suspended and touches the stone wall.
