araçás house​

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set on a 12.26 x 20.34-meter plot, casa de mi emerges from the renovation of a 15-year-old residence that had never been inhabited. the original construction, composed of three bedrooms, a compact living room, and a linear kitchen, revealed its greatest potential in a large rear space — the project’s starting point — driven by the client’s desire to create a home capable of hosting family gatherings.

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the design strategy was to preserve the existing structure while intervening precisely, expanding the key spaces essential to the residents’ comfort. the master suite was enlarged to ensure greater privacy, while new areas were incorporated at the back of the lot: a dining room, support area, laundry, and an outdoor living space with a pool and barbecue.

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the main challenge of the project was addressing the original condition of the semi-detached houses within the development. the architectural approach sought to break away from the feeling of an “attached house,” creating the perception of an autonomous residence free within its site. the living room played a central role in this strategy: the window frame was set back from the side boundary, opening space for a garden that visually extends into the interior. this decision, combined with the use of exposed concrete slats marking the entrance and living room volume, visually dissolves the barrier with the neighboring house.

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the extensions were executed with precision, maintaining the original embedded roof and reducing demolitions to optimize costs. the new volumes articulate the project’s spatial composition: the living room, defined by exposed concrete slats; the white wood panel, which lightly separates the living and kitchen areas; and the horizontal garage block, built with a trussed metal structure and clad in cement boards with white paint. stone pillars and planes emphasize the main entrance and reappear as a scenic backdrop for the pool, establishing continuity between interior and exterior spaces.

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natural ventilation was also a guiding principle. opposite openings in the living room and kitchen create cross-ventilation, while the laundry — marked by a perforated plane of horizontal metal slats — was given a higher ceiling and an extended slab to enhance hot air exhaust. these strategies ensure thermal comfort and environmental quality in everyday use.

in the finishes palette, white and warm imbuia wood tones predominate, accented by the colors of the furniture and the green of the landscaping. this welcoming composition reinforces the concept of a residence that, though born from a semi-detached typology, found its own free, luminous, and emotional space.