Rammed earth wall

The property is located at 1250 m altitude in the Mantiqueira mountain range, in the municipality of Camanducaia, with a mountain climate. The land, sloping towards the north face, favors the positioning of the house, which opens up to the views of the mountain range and closes to the cold wind from the south. Pedro Kok Pedro Kok Pedro Kok The resident, newly moved from São Paulo, has extensive experience in environmental education. The pleasure of teaching and hosting visitors combines into a larger life project. Living in the countryside seeks this reconnection with nature. For this, the guest rooms can be used by the family or by visitors who rent them, generating income that helps maintain the property. Activitie... More

This project is a conversation between Architecture and Nature. Set in the middle of a dense forest, the house pivots around a tree with its spaces shifting and stacking around it responding to its immediate context. The idea of the SHIFT-ing Earth stems from its response to its context. Change in context brings about change in the response. Such core contextual parameters were identified and synthesized into an algorithm that can be applied to different contexts producing different outcomes. This process helped us to populate the structures over the site of the township with unique solutions for every individual plot responding to parameters like Sun, Wind and Vista.  We looked into one such plot and explored more in the detail on th... More

The idea of horizon is strongly felt on the site through the stark mesa that lies adjacent to the community. Overpowering in scale, the Mesa forms the backdrop of the project. Caption Caption This idea of horizon is grounded in the concept of TERRA. A single-story structure in constant connection to the desert floor, low in profile, the roof edge, demarcated with a steel ribbon, forms a datum line, characteristically reflecting the Mesa’s strong horizontal edge. Caption Caption Light is in constant play in the desert, reflecting off the desert floor...diffused through the leaves of mesquite trees. In TERRA, the roof encompasses the project, extending past the edge of the enclosure,  to form a series of prote... More

Dreams + Necessity + Available resources = Project Solving the basic equation of materializing dreams through a bounded Budget, we initiated the construction process of our architectural office. The exercise begins with the experimental transformation process of materials, such as earth, Wood and glass, configuring them between two existing trees: a flame tree, that stays outside but framed, and a guavirá tree, that stands in the middle of the space to share our company.The 30-cm rammed earth walls hold the weight of the roof, resting in only 20 cm of its width, exploiting the structural qualities of this material. All of the furniture and doors are made of recycled wooden forms used in the concrete slab that covers the offic... More

‘Writ in Water’ – New public artwork by Mark Wallinger is unveiled at Runnymede to celebrate the legacy of Magna Carta.Opening tomorrow (Saturday, 16 June),Writ in Water, a major architectural artwork by Mark Wallinger, in collaboration withStudio Octopi, provides a new immersive space for contemplation and reflection at Runnymede, Surrey.Over 800 years ago, Runnymede, now cared for by the National Trust, witnessed the feudal barons forcing King John to seal Magna Carta - a founding moment in shaping the basis of common law across the world. Writ in Water, commissioned by the National Trust in association with arts producers Situations,celebrates the enduring significance of Magna Carta. Set in the heart of this ancient landscape, Writ... More