Framing the Landscape: Brazilian Houses With Stunning Openings

Written by Giovana Martino | Translated by Diogo Simões
Published on January 27, 2022

Designing houses in tropical climates, as is the case in Brazil, means paying special attention to openings, both in relation to the functioning and conviviality of the house, as well as in relation to issues of environmental comfort. In this article we bring you 16 Brazilian homes that take advantage of their strategic openings to create cozy, stunning, well-lit and ventilated environments.

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If, on the one hand, the openings are there to optimize ventilation and bring natural light into the project, on the other hand, they also indicate the degree of relationship with the outside that one wants to establish. Design choices dictate the hierarchy of views when framing scenes and defining the level of intimacy one has in an environment. At the same time, its strategic location determines the path of light and shadow and how this light will impact the ambience of that space and its natural ventilation.

We perceive the act of designing closely linked to openings in the works of renowned European architects such as Mies Van der Rohe and Álvaro Siza, but it is fundamental in projects in tropical climates, like ours. Even considering the different contexts, from houses on large rural lots to small urban houses, this selection of projects shows how it is possible to define strategic openings in residential projects: