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Memory
The client's request was to create a house for a small family, within a condominium with larger houses, and there was a concern that the house would stand out due to the need for smaller dimensions. The terrain is marked by a considerable slope that ends at the edge of a thick forest.
The architects decided to free the house from the ground, seeking greater insolation and use of natural light. Internally, they created a large space with double-height ceilings to incorporate the exuberance of the landscape into the interior of the residence.
Without any formalism, the volume has been configured in a rigid way, floating in the landscape and resting minimally on the foundation that houses the garage floor and the service area. From the moment they enter, visitors will first notice the strong interaction between the building and the natural terrain, and only after realizing this can they access the residence itself via a sculptural staircase.
The house is made up of rooms that are closely connected to the landscape and to a shared space that houses the living room, swimming pool, lounge, bar and gourmet kitchen with unrestricted integration. As it was possible to house all the rooms in a compact way, the design enhanced the living space by adding drama to it at the very moment when it is perceived by the arrival of residents or visitors to the house, revealing at once the external force, through a double height ceiling, the structural overhang, the contrast of the swimming pool intimately connected to the living room with TV and the entire social area.
The construction system used in this project consists of large metal beams, which will be prefabricated off-site, creating a fast and sustainable construction process. This system made it possible to reduce the volume of structural elements touching the ground, with only four support points that will support the almost 300 m² of construction, giving lightness and visual permeability to the most interesting area of the plot. The construction system combines steel with concrete slabs on a steel deck and traditional sealing techniques.
To strengthen the front façade and ensure it was in keeping with the conceptual purity, a semi-enclosed garden was designed, surrounded by extruded galvanized steel mesh. With the sum of the parties adopted, the house with almost half the average area of the other houses in the condominium had a very coherent proportion in line with the owner's wishes.
The project was conceived with absolute consideration for the contours of the plot and the climate of the city, which has a predominantly subtropical climate. The carefully positioned openings with the correct solar orientation allow for cross-ventilation, which provides comfort without the use of air conditioning.
Technical sheet
Casa RO | Curitiba, PR
Location
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Built-up area
327,16 m²
Architect in Charge
Luiz Volpato
Renders
Luiz Volpato Architect
Project Year
2018
Land area
520,11 m²
Project Coordination
Daniela Maron
Project Team
Pablo Quintela, Nicolas Smalarz, Sarah Cantos and Gessé de Souza
Coordination of Complementary Projects
Luiz Volpato Architect
Foundations and retaining walls project
Civil Society Branch
Concrete Structural Design
Civil Society Branch
Steel Structure Design
Andrade Rezende Project Engineering
Electrical Installation Project
HRV Engineering and Architecture Services
Fire Prevention and Hydraulic Installation Project
Osmar Coelho Polydoro
Gas installation design
Elos Atrivis Projects
Visual Communication
Luiz Volpato Architect
Client
ROA