In Salto de Pirapora, Brazil, this house by Vereda Arquitetos is situated on a 1000 sqm plot with an 8-meter slope from front to back. Looking out over a small ecological reserve and stream, the house comprises three buried masonry volumes with floor levels varying in accordance with the topography.
The three volumes house the kitchen and laundry in the first volume, the bedrooms in the second and the master bedroom with bathroom in the third volume, which is a mezzanine type space enclosed from the living room below by sliding curtain.
The arrangement of the volumes on-site allows for fluidity over the sloping terrain, without cutting the site off between front and back. A concrete grandstand in the first, main living volume, enforces the relationship to topography and enables multiple uses that make the most of views over the reserve.
The roof is a concrete slab supported by four columns, creating different ambiences from the ceiling heights of each use. The slab was made from precast panel forms poured into place. The slabs of the three masonry volumes are roof gardens that are at times inside and other time outside of the enclosed perimeter of the house.
The main roof is also a roof garden completely free from infrastructure such as water tanks and solar panels, which are located at the rear of the plot and concealed on a sloped section.
