studio arthur casas: the baleia houses

‘the baleia houses’ by studio arthur casas, baleia, brazilall images © iñigo bujedo aguirre

located in the northern coast of são paulo between a large rainforest reserve that shelters the mountains of serra do mar is the beach of baleia where brazilian firm studio arthur casas have developed ‘the baleia houses’. the four dwellings contain the same narrow plan which are positioned diagonally on a small plot of land, mimicking the topography of the site. by using the wall of the neighboring residence, intimate spaces are created for the adjacent structure providing view of the encompassing landscape while maintaining levels of privacy for the inhabitants.

a central patio transforms into an interior garden constructed out of two volumes connected by a corridor to the patio. the ground floor is made up of paths which reveals the landscape leading towards the beach. the service areas, such as the kitchen and dining room are located in the first block which feature low ceilings revealing the double height living area with a glass sliding door to continue the interior out to the exterior terrace.  a swimming pool with jacuzzi, sauna are located in front of the outdoor cooking area where the cantilevered master bedroom provides shelter to the entertaining zone.

open spaces blur the boundaries between outdoor and indoor areasimage © iñigo bujedo aguirre

a glass wall separates the stairs which allows natural light to flood the house through an upper slit. the second floor is finished in wood to contrast the stone on the ground level. the guest rooms are located on the the shared wall – with the view of the neighbors’ homes –  which transforms into a vertical garden. the corridor that connect the two volumes have louvers on both sides providing ventilation to the house. a solarium is placed above the master en suite to capture views of the sea and the mountains behind the dwelling .

living roomimage © iñigo bujedo aguirre

image © iñigo bujedo aguirre

swimming pool image © iñigo bujedo aguirre

double height living spaceimage © iñigo bujedo aguirre 

image © iñigo bujedo aguirre

dining room image © iñigo bujedo aguirre

master bedroomimage © iñigo bujedo aguirre

roof top gardenimage © iñigo bujedo aguirre

view of the oceanfront image © iñigo bujedo aguirre

site plan image © studio arthur casas

level 0, level 1, level 2image © studio arthur casas

elevationimage © studio arthur casas