pimont arquitetura has designed a private residence situated in the suburban low-density neighborhood of cacupé, within the city of florianópolis, in south brazil. that district is a short strip of land between the bay and the hills, occupied mainly by condos, ‘battling’ for maximum space and uninterrupted sea views. 

house in cacupe 1
the totally opened floor plan – view from the bedroom through the courtyard to the kitchen
all images courtesy of pimont arquitetura

 

 

the project by pimont arquitetura was conducted based on two personal requests from the client. the site is quite far from the bay itself, nevertheless, it has a magnificent view, encouraging the client to invest in that particular space. however, due to the construction of the neighbor’s house, that view was partially blocked, so naturally, the first personal request was to recover it. the second one was to build a contemporary house, with integrated spaces, aligning design and style with efficiency technologies. the goal was to combine passive strategies with new tech systems in order to have a comfortable and efficient home.

house in cacupe 2
misalignment and shifting materials are the elements of composition

 

 

in order to preserve the landscape, the house was suspended, with the privileged position offering a great view of the north bay. on the underground level, the minimum area possible was covered, linking the house with the street, while housing a garage and other necessary technical areas. the ground level floats above the topography, allowing a high continuous opening for natural ventilation of the underground spaces. the majority of the ground floor area features a large terrace, covered by the upper suspended volume, from which the residents can access the large garden and the pool. 

 

 

 

 

the core of the house is the upper level, elevated four meters from the ground. it is a box with one side entirely opened to the bay view. the floor plan is totally open and integrated, connecting the bedroom, living room and kitchen, all in a single space. this area is opened to the amazing landscape to the west, while the service and closed areas, such as closet, bathroom, toilet, pantry and laundry area positioned along the east facade. 

house in cacupe 3
view from the pool in the backyard

 

 

the west facade features an awning system which keeps the house protected from the sun, without blocking the view or natural ventilation. in the east facade, a composition of openings in the concrete wall connects the natural surroundings with the interior, while ensuring cross ventilation through the house. on the covering slab there are solar panels which produce 80% of the energy consumed in the house and shade the surface, protecting it from the heat. the slab also includes a system to collect rain water, which is filtered and stocked in the underground level, where a treatment equipment prepares it for common uses in the whole house. bioclimatic strategies were employed to obtain comfort and modern technologies were included to reuse natural resources.

house in cacupe 6
the concrete box is suspended from the level below supported by thin metal columns

house in cacupe 8
the suspended concrete box opens to the view of the bay exposing the integrated rooms inside

house in cacupe 11
the balcony

house in cacupe 10
the courtyard with its sliding glass roof

house in cacupe 4
the concrete box

house in cacupe 5
music room at the ground level

house in cacupe 7
inside the concrete box the wooden coverings create the ambience

house in cacupe 9
the view

house in cacupe 12
stairs and platforms create the connections between indoor and outdoor spaces

 

 

project info:

 

name: house in cacupé
architecture office: pimont arquitetura
lead architects: henrique pimont, alejandro ortiz
location: florianopolis, santa catarina, brazil
land area: 542 m²
total built area: 340 m²

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom