14-06-2012

A house as a window onto nature. Nitsche Arquitetos Associados

Nelson Kon,

Award,

abstract



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A house as a window onto nature. Nitsche Arquitetos Associados
Brazilian architectural studio Nitsche Arquitetos, São Paolo, has created a frame for admiring the rare beauty of the landscape in its plan for a home in São Francisco Xavier, Espírito Santo.

The site is a small mountain covered with luxuriant wild vegetation overlooking the river at the bottom of the valley and surrounded by tall Eucalyptus trees on the slopes of what looks like a “sea of mountains”. Brazil's Espírito Santo region is famous for the granite and coffee that come out of its mountains.

The home is set on a corner of the hill, and consists of a main volume with two secondary volumes at right angles to it containing accessory and utility areas such as the guesthouse and laundry room, forming an open-air courtyard sheltered on three sides.



The middle building overlooks the slope and has a transparent façade establishing a solid bond with the landscape around it, which in turn becomes a part of the architectural composition, while the volumes of the home facing the hill are more introspective.



By choosing simple construction materials such as timber and glass, the architects further promote integration with the landscape to make the project as non-invasive as possible, in terms of both its natural surroundings and its inhabitants’ privacy, offering an example of how nature can become the number one ingredient in home design.

Design: Nitsche Arquitetos Associados, http://www.nitsche.com.br/
Location: São Francisco Xavier, SP, Brazil
Photographs: Nelson Kon, http://www2.nelsonkon.com.br/
Awards: 1st place, prêmio o melhor da arquitetura, revista arquitetura e construção, 2011


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