bloco arquitetos aligns torreão house with brazilian landscape

outside of brasilia’s bustling urban center, this single storey home presents majestic views across the region’s unspoiled countryside. designing for a young couple, local studio bloco arquitetos sought to align the property with surrounding landscape, using architecture to enhance and highlight the existing terrain.

all images by haruo mikami, courtesy of bloco arquitetos

named ‘torreão house’, a name that alludes in portuguese to the structure’s turreted form, the property is embedded within the undulating topography allowing all internal functions to be spread across just one level, and ensuring unobstructed views from the surrounding area. internally, living accommodation is arranged around the centrally positioned lounge, accessed by ramps that traverse the front garden. the home’s four bedrooms open out onto a natural preservation area at the southern edge of the plot, while circulation routes and service areas face the northern façade, which is more exposed to the passing street.

a sheltered terrace at ground floor level

a roof garden serves as an extension of the backyard, acting as an observation platform that remains open to all sides of the property. this terrace provides thermal insulation throughout the year and reinforces the visual continuity between the street, the house and the native vegetation.

the elevated patio is punctuated by translucid steel and glass cubes designed ventilate the bathrooms below, while during nighttime the glowing turrets work as lanterns, illuminating the entirety of the garden.

an elevated roof garden serves as an extension of the backyard

the terrace serves as an observation platform that remains open to all sides of the property

the garden is punctuated by translucid steel and glass cubes that illuminate and ventilate the areas below

the northern façade is more exposed to the passing street

living accommodation is accessed by ramps that traverse the front garden

the property’s east and west façades are windowless

the dwelling’s brilliant white walls contrast with the lush vegetation

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project info:

authors: daniel mangabeira, henrique coutinho e matheus seco
collaboration: tatiana lopes, guilherme mahana, victor machado, bruno pessoa and rodrigo scheel
location: brasilia, brazil
built surface: 400 sqm
project: 2011
construction: 2012-2014
structural engineer: andré torres
electrical and plumbing projects: victor silvério
contractor: moura figueiredo
physical model: aescala
photography: haruo mikami