perkins + will builds a tropical house around a tree in são paulo

immersed into its tropical setting in são paulo, brazil, perkins + will was given the task of designing a new residence located at alto de pinheiros, a traditional neighborhood of the city. the site itself is 1,000 square meters and was bought especially for the construction of the house. about 50% of the plot is occupied by a generous garden, including a characteristic tree.

all images © nelson kon

the challenge of the project was for perkins + will to seamlessly integrate the verdant greenery into the lives and architecture of the residents. the tree became the protagonist of the project, driving the resulting design. located on the eastern corner of the site, the tree was three-dimensionally digitized, allowing the architects to define the constructive guidelines without damaging its roots.

the common living spaces are positioned underneath a timber waffle ceiling that establishes a line of sight in the room. the expansive living, dining, common areas and kitchen are enveloped by stone walls and integrated with the surrounding greenery. these areas covered by a structural wood grid (developed with the well-known brazilian engineer hélio olga) are connected to the backyard garden featuring a pool and linked to the street. the design of this timber ceiling was developed using a three-dimensional mapping technique and enabled the grid heights to be carefully calculated to reduce impact on the landscape.

the larger opening has been made to enable the tree to grow through

the common areas are fully open

a dynamic sequence of spaces were established throughout the expansive dwelling

every room somehow integrates greenery

the house is built on a hectare of land bought especially for the construction of the home

stone walls have been used

the timber ceiling was developed using a three-dimensional mapping technique

the front façade of the house

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save