'casa café' by tetro recalls the earthy + aromatic essence of coffee

tetro completes ‘casa café’ in the scenic minas gerais

In the tropical Cerrado region of Brazil, within Minas Gerais, a rural painting of red earth and twisted tree trunks defines the landscape, framing and inspiring the design for Tetro’s latest residential project — ‘Casa Café’. Beyond its characteristic nature, the South American territory is also beloved for its coffee and the cultural nuances associated with it. Indeed, this symbolic drink invites long conversations and relaxation — a concept that strongly weaves itself across ‘Casa Café’.

The architectural studio writes: ‘The design for this house sought an understanding and connection between the place and the residents, their habits and interests. In this sense, understanding how much coffee is an important drink for future residents. [This] raised the following question: How to create a project that represents in its concepts, subjectively, the characteristics of coffee?‘

‘Casa Café’ by Tetro Arquitetura | all images © Luisa Lage

earth and air, weight and lightness: the duality of coffee

Answering their queries, the architects at Tetro explored two pillars when designing ‘Casa Café’: the quality of coffee informed by the land and climate in which the beans grow, and the aromatic essence of this beloved drink. In this sense, earth and air become the main drivers of the project, where weight (earth) and lightness (air) are in constant dialogue. Representing that contrast is a series of thick and pigmented concrete side walls referring to soil and land, while white and curved roof slabs seemingly floating atop this solid foundation — echoing the swaying of air. ‘They are like two sheets of paper resting on the walls that seem to sprout from the ground,‘ notes Tetro.

evoking earth (side walls) and air (roof slabs)

a poetic oneness with the rural landscape

The program of ‘Casa Café’ breaks down into two blocks under the curved slabs: the first holds all social functions while the second features the more private and intimate spaces of the dwelling. To circulate from one block to the next, Tetro inserted a corridor between two earthen walls, alluding to a transition between two distinct atmospheres. These walls lead to a view of the outdoor where a pristine-like terrain, peppered with native trees, establishes a new relationships with the built volumes. Completing the immediate landscape is a stepped garden that Tetro developed around the existing foliage.

Reflecting on their work, the architects conclude with a few words: ‘The project sought to understand how architecture can, through poetic language, make connections between residents and the house and create symbols that refer to the culture of the place or the people who will inhabit the space.‘

nestled in the rural landscape of Minas Gerais