Residência Mariante

The site’s topography has a 20% slope, which means exactly 8 m difference between lowest and highest points. We designed a 16 m square-shaped house spotted in a single store above the inclined topography. This prism was disposed in such a way that it results in two equal additional useful spaces: under and over it, like a yard in the shadow and another one in the sun, places to stay outdoor either in a rainy or a sunny day.
These constructed levels make us always feel in ground level. Even when we are on the roof we can cross a bridge and find the ground level again.
The house structure rests on four columns. The two slabs are 50 cm high including all the beams that stand each 90 cm like nervures or veins, were made by casting premixed concrete on plastic mold. Although the structure construction has been done on spot, its process is very industrialized.
The house’s roof has a 20 cm depth pool of water with fishes. As soon as we finished slab casting, we put the water and kept it there forever, avoiding cracks and future leaks.
It is also a good solution when it comes to thermal comfort and very economic too, because it dispenses using any impermeable membrane.
The external walls are made in concrete and they have only 5 cm of thickness. Then, to improve its thermal performance we had to protect them with a second layer, made with pre-cast panels out of pressed wood and cement.
The side windows are made with tempered glass without frameworks, they are like a guillotine balanced with a counterweight hidden between the panel and the wall of concrete.
As in other projects, we tried to be economical and restrictive in drawings and details, to reduce construction mistakes. We tried to concentrate on few elements, which mean fewer actions to the construction.