Casa da Ilha, designed by Estúdio Pedro Haruf, is shaped by the climate and character of Governador Valadares in Brazil’s Rio Doce Valley. The house has a close connection to its surroundings—climatically, emotionally, and symbolically—and holds particular significance for the studio for two reasons that influenced its design.
Firstly, the project provided an opportunity to design in the architect’s hometown, bringing a perspective shaped by two decades of experience. Secondly, it was commissioned by close friends whose relationships with the architect date back to high school. Designing for people with such close connections added a sense of responsibility, requiring careful listening and consideration throughout the process.
The material strategy also prioritizes durability and regional construction capabilities. The project combines Moledo stone, Cumaru timber, and aluminum elements, while local labor and suppliers were used wherever technically feasible.
Responding to climate, flooding, and spatial constraints
Located on Ilha dos Araújos, a river island in the Rio Doce, the house responds to several site-specific constraints. The 360-square-meter lot needed to accommodate large, connected social spaces alongside four bedroom suites. Balancing an extensive program within the restricted site informed a design strategy based on spatial efficiency: minimizing circulation, compacting the building volume, and creating direct relationships between interior and exterior spaces.
The island experiences annual flooding, with a maximum recorded flood level of 85 centimeters on the site. In response, the house was raised 1.7 meters above the sidewalk, providing a flood safety margin. This structural decision also shaped the entrance sequence, creating an ascending route through an intermediate garage and arrival landing that gradually reveals the house.
Environmental comfort as architecture
Governador Valadares has a hot, humid climate, with limited air movement in the central area intensifying thermal discomfort. In response, the house prioritizes passive shading and natural ventilation. Its broad footprint helps shade the principal social spaces.
The second-floor concrete structure extends 1.2 meters to form eaves along the front and rear facades. Aluminum brise-soleils filter direct sunlight and reduce solar heat gain on the vertical surfaces, helping limit heat transfer to the interior.
These shading devices also register changes in daylight over time. Their projected shadows shift with the seasons, creating a changing pattern across floors and walls that marks the passage of hours and months.
Structural lightness and transparency
A specific request from the clients informed the structural solution: they did not want a column at the corner of the living room. The support was moved to the site boundary, freeing the corner and allowing the second floor to cantilever over the side garden, creating the impression of a floating volume.
A metal pergola extends alongside the cantilever—when the retractable glass panels are concealed within the walls, the living area opens directly to the garden. In place of the corner column, the architects positioned the Manga swing, designed by the studio for Qubo Design. The element reinforces the sense of structural lightness while introducing a more playful point of occupation at the edge of the living space.
Program, circulation, and daily life
The ground floor contains the main social spaces: entry hall, living room, dining room, kitchen, pantry, a playroom adapted from one of the suites, service area, entertaining space, and pool. A winter garden runs along one side of the house, supporting natural ventilation and bringing planting closer to the interior spaces. On the opposite side, a service corridor provides technical access and supports the practical organization of the house.
On the upper floor, the TV room connects to two bedroom suites, each with a walk-in closet, and to the primary suite. Circulation areas are also used for storage, study, and a small workspace for the client. The rear facade opens toward Pico da Ibituruna, a landmark of the local landscape, bringing views of the mountain into the domestic interior.
Designing for resilience and long-term use
Casa da Ilha responds to environmental conditions primarily through passive design, climate resilience, and durable construction. Cross ventilation and the side winter garden support passive air movement, while large retractable openings allow the social spaces to connect with the exterior when conditions are favorable.
Predominantly LED lighting and automation systems help reduce energy consumption.
Lower levels use durable, washable, and easy-to-maintain materials so that, following a flood event, affected areas can be cleaned and returned to use with limited material replacement. This strategy is intended to reduce recurring repair, reconstruction, and maintenance impacts over the home’s lifespan.
The building’s conventional concrete structure was not designed for future disassembly, but several independent components—including aluminum brise-soleils, metal elements, window frames, and joinery—can potentially be replaced or reused individually.
Flexible interior areas also support adaptation over time, including a ground-floor room currently used as a playroom that can later become a bedroom or serve another function.
