Casa Maenduaba

Jomar Bragança

• Architects

The residence was designed to meet the needs of a family that seeks to live outside the context of high urban density, closer to nature in their daily lives, valuing simplicity.

photo_credit Jomar Bragança — Jomar Bragança

Built in Casa Branca (Brumadinho), a town in Minas Gerais recognized for its ecological trails and waterfalls, Casa Maenduaba seeks to integrate with the existing slope of the natural terrain and with views of Serra da Calçada, Ouro Fino and Três Irmãos .

The development of the internal spaces takes place under a gabled roof, adding spatial complexity from a practical solution that refers to the illustrations we used to do in childhood to illustrate a home.

From the external facade, the initial view of the house is that of a monolithic block (covered in wood treated with a black stain) supported by a white block. The external lateral volume that houses the garage and service area forms a visual barrier, generating privacy to the uncovered external area of the house, where, in addition to a grassy area, there is a swimming pool and a vegetable garden, at the back of the terrain.

On the first level there is a continuous and integrated space that serves as a living room, dining room, kitchen and covered outdoor area. The upper floor is visually integrated with the lower environment through a mezzanine, on this level two bedrooms, a living space and an office were designed. This floor also integrates with the external area, through the suite's window and its planter, as a continuity of the garden.

The hydraulic plumbing and service spaces were located in the Northwest portion of the building in order to protect the internal spaces from excessive sunlight, as well as promoting greater flexibility in the arrangements of the spaces served (living rooms and bedrooms).

The structural system of the house is a mixed assembly, mainly made of reinforced concrete (a system of pre-molded lattice slabs supported by beams and pillars) and its roof is made of thermoacoustic tiles installed on steel metal beams.