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Architects: Atria Arquitetos
- Area: 420 m²
- Year: 2010
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Photographs:Edgar Cézar
Text description provided by the architects. Located in a residencial neighbourhood in Brasília, Brazil, the “Casa 8” is a family residence that points out the simplicity of architecture through the materials choices with a plea for natural textures. The architectural design approach intends to explore the integration among the house´s internal and external ambiences. With a steel concrete structure, the building is a one story house only, with very simple plan, located in a site that is 20 meters wide and 80 meters long (1.600m²), in order to preserve as much vegetation area as possible.
As a volume, at first sight it looks like an enclosed box that presents itself as a 3,5 meters height wall to the street – eliminating the need of fences or gates, and offering the public a garden in front of the house. Even though, by crossing the main access door and walking through the sidewalk by the promenade, the pedestrian realizes that inside and outside spaces get confused and complete each other. This impression is given by the pivoting doors (side façade) and sliding door (back façade) made of certified wood.
The inside spaces are organized in three different categories. The common/collective spaces: kitchen, library, dining room and living room. The support spaces: garage, laundry, storage and service bathroom. And the intimate spaces: bedrooms and bathrooms. These last spaces are involved by the other, configuring the center of the house, and preserving the most restricted activities.
The lighting and the ventilation of the house is constituted of two complementary systems. The peripheral areas (kitchen, library, access, dining room and living room) are fully ventilated and illuminated by the pivoting doors on the side and by the sliding door in the back. When opened, the doors offer an efficient system of natural air circulation. The intimate spaces, in the core of the house, are ventilated and lightened through conservatories in some of the bedrooms, and glazed roofs in other.
