House in Vinhedo

Alessandro Kusuki

• Architects

The flat site, with generous dimensions for a house limited to a maximum of 250 m², encouraged a layout that explores constant interfaces between enclosed covered spaces and outdoor areas. This resulted in a programmatic distribution already tested in other residential projects, where circulation between rooms occurs through covered passages without lateral enclosures such as frames or masonry.

Seen from above, the house can be read as a slab that moves across the site like an irregularly shaped canopy, defined by the arrangement of spaces to favor the best relationship between covered areas and open-use spaces, such as the pool and the patio—this one featuring a central opening for a fire pit.

photo_credit Alessandro Kusuki — Alessandro Kusuki

The detached volumes, connected by veranda-like circulation generated by the canopy design, are laid out with regular geometry to create areas that function as small cloisters. However, the bedroom volumes are angled in relation to the other spaces to achieve ideal solar orientation.

The organization of the spaces followed a hierarchical logic of use. At the front of the site, for those arriving from the street, the first volume houses the entrance hall, garage, and sauna area. This volume is enclosed with slatted wooden panels that vary their opening mechanisms according to use: tilt-up doors for the garage, a pedestrian access door, and pivoting panels facing the pool. When closed, they align coplanarly, neutralizing themselves into a single element. The intention for this space is flexibility, as most of it functions as a single, open area.

Perpendicular to the garage space is the living area program, whose main façade faces the pool. At the opposite end is the kitchen volume, which connects—through a protected circulation with glazing—to the bedroom wing.

Basically, three elements make up the construction of this house: concrete, glass, and wood. However, the expectation is that a fourth element—vegetation—will soon play a strong role in the transitions between spaces, reinforcing our recurring intention, whenever possible in our investigations, to create a counterpoint between inside and outside. We see this as a natural vocation of the place, one that enhances our privileged tropical climate and reminds us how unnecessary it is to live in hermetically sealed and conditioned environments.