Beautiful Tropical House Design, Rio de Janiero, Brazil







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About Mareines Arquitetura

Architecture: Mareines + Patalano
Area: 800m²
Year: 2006/2008
Location: Angra Dos Reis, Brazil

Description from architects

This project was inspired by Brazil’s indian architecture, perfectly suited for the hot and humid climate where it stands, Angra dos Reis, one hour drive south of Rio de Janeiro.

The roof acts as a big leaf that protects from the hot sun all the enclosed spaces of the house as the in-between open spaces, truly the most important ones. These in-between open spaces represent the essence of the design. They are the social areas, where the owner of the house and his guests spend most of their time.



The very generous heights of these spaces, which vary from 3 to 9 meters, allow the SE trade winds from the sea to pass perfectly longitudinally trough the building, providing natural ventilation and passive cooling both to the enclosed and open spaces. We see it as low-tech eco efficiency, where it has the greatest impact, the concept of the architectural design.

There are no corridors and inside and outsed are almost fused. Many sliding doors, most glazed, open up the enclosed spaces and let the sea breeze in.

Our practice, luckily in agreement whit our client, understand the idea of a tropical beach house as a mean to enhance the interaction between man and nature, trying whenever possible not to separate them completely.

Exterior

The landscape is everywhere on the ground floor, and the curvy swimming pool snakes into the house. When it passes below the formal dining room, it turns into a pond with aquatic plants and fishes, reaching the rear “veranda”. This veranda is a resting space with five Brazil’s indians’ style hammocks. We call this space “Brazilian lounge”. The roof structure is made of laminated reflorestation wood (eucalyptus), capable of crossing big spans (20 meters is tle biggest here) with delicacy and warm aesthetics.





The roof is covered in small reflorestation wood tiles (pinus taeda), that easily adapt to the complexes surfaces of it. It also collects rain water via the central steel column to be reused in gardening and flushing toilets. All surfaces finishes, except for glass and pre-oxidized copper are natural: Grey tiles of stone from the site, bamboo meshes, local wood from remanagement forests, earthy flooring and wood reused from old electricity posts.

Interior

The use of all these natural materials, the transparency of the glass, the neutrality of the oxidized copper relating to the prevailing green of the designed and natural landscape along with the organic composition of the house and rich diversity of textures and rhythms created a very desirable reality: The sensation of belonging to the site, in harmony with the exuberant Brazilian nature.



Private study library in the woods





Private study library in the woods

An elegant and pure Platonic cube here matches the harmony of the structure's purpose and form, in both metaphorical and programmatic terms. The second floor is entirely open and is a working private study library. The sliding windows open on all four sides to create an atmosphere of an aerie in the woods. The first floor, which is completely closed, is contains book stacks for library.

Architecture: Peter Gluck and Partners
Photography: Paul Warchol

Villa in Stockholm archipelago, Sweden





Villa in Stockholm archipelago, Sweden

Situated atop a rocky headland on a natural plateau, the villa enjoys beautiful panoramic views across the Baltic Sea bay and the setting sun.
The creative idea behind the project was to create a concentrated and clear form in marked contrast to the Stockholm archipelago natural landscape. The presence of a limestone and concrete building, abstract for this location, also increases the experience of the local rich shades of nature.

Behind the villa's clean lines hides an advanced technological systems. Air-conditioning or district cooling is pumped into the in-house units through the rock shaft, so air-conditioning is generally free of charge. Heating for the hot water, outdoor pool and floors is produced by a heat pump. Tap water is taked from the bay and treated in a desalination system. All engineering units are operated by a smart monitoring and control solution, controlled by owners via a mobile handset or the internet.

Architecture: John Robert Nilsson Arkitektkontor

Beautiful Home in Singapore





Beautiful home in Singapore

Amazing views towards the Singapore city from Siglap Hill inspired this beautiful home design. Family and master spaces are placed on the third level which has the most magnificent views. Dining and living rooms are situated on the second level, connected with terraces and verandahs that flow upwards and fold into the home's roof form with deep roof overhangs for efficient sun shade and channeling the fresh breeze through the whole space in the house.

Architecture: Aamer Architects
Photography: Patrick Bingham-Hall

Coastal home design, Playa Misterio, Peru





Coastal home design, Playa Misterio, Peru

Two volumes of the coastal home design crown the top of a hill at beach community Playa Misterio in Peru. The “concrete block” accommodates the master bedroom at the top and the social space in its lower levels. The “glass block” includes the children’s space in two levels. The volume between the spaces is occupied by a staircase block that connect the hard appear of exposed concrete to the soft look glass surface provoking light and shadow effects.

Architecture: Longhi Architects