Brasil Arquitetura designed Pepiguari House in Sao Paulo, Brazil to be a multi-purpose two storey home that features several outdoor zones as well as a building running the width of the property at the very back that houses not only a working office but a conference/dining room as well. Aside from the versatility of Pepiguari House, the home is characterized by its rational organization of space as well as its wide array of interesting vignettes and focal points – no matter which angle it is viewed from.
Even from the street view Pepiquari House rocks with interesting details. First there are the Corten Steel posts that support the cover on the carport – it’s a great industrial moment, then there is the concrete box with front yard access – super functional. and then there is that awesome Corten Steel stairwell running up the facade before arriving at the rooftop deck which just happens to have a grass floor!
Aside from having a grass floor, the rooftop deck and garden also has its own shade area for escaping the heat of the day while enjoying views of the surrounding urban landscape and mountains beyond.
The stairwell begins at the 2nd storey terrace, which creates a sheltered overhang to the main entrance below. A second entrance is through the concrete box, which has a screened and lockable door facing into the yard.
The main entrance to the home features two glass doors with a pair of small windows next to them. All the exterior window and door frames are made of Corten Steel and glass. Here, those windows unusually start at the floor level and finish long before they reach viewing height. What’s fun about the lowest window is the statue of a dachshund just behind the glass.
Inside the home the concrete wall continues through the interior separating the service side from the social zone which is designed as one long open floor plan punctuated by a wood burning fireplace and backed by a concrete stairwell leading to the second volume.
The kitchen is positioned within the service side of the concrete wall but a large void within the wall offers easy access to the dining and living areas and a bar top within the void creates the perfect place to watch the chef at work, have breakfast or simply relax.
The void not only creates a communication avenue for the chef to anyone within the social zone but also creates a spot to mount a pot rack – and how cool is that!
The coffee station and bar are located under the counter closest to the bar while the appliances are on the other side. The kitchen also has access to the backyard via the glass door but more importantly, those in the office have easy access to the kitchen.
The journey to and from the office building is made easy due to the prefabricated deck modules covering the majority of the yard. The site is sloped so there are two level changes within the garden and steps connect each change.
Landscaping is kept to a minimum with grass only appearing along the fence, of course there is also the large tree that provides shade and seasonal fruit.
Although its just a short trip to the kitchen from the office, a drinking fountain on the retaining wall provides a quick way to quench your thirst.
When the lights are on in the house, the fruit tree offers privacy to the private 2nd storey volume.
Landscape lighting strategically located on the sidewalls of both sets of stairs makes traversing the yard at night safe – and beautiful.
The fruit tree is directly below the shade cover on the rooftop deck, it’s a interesting symmetry created by man and nature.
The fruit tree provides an abundance of shade for the garden.
The overhang of the 2nd storey terrace shades the outdoor dining area.
The wall of glazings that overlook the back garden slide and stack out of the way blurring the lines between outdoor and indoor living. On those days when its raining or cold, the glass wall can be closed and a cozy fire lit in that super modern fireplace.
Pepiguari House is filled with interesting modern moments and the dining area is no exception – that star burst chandelier must cast the most unbelievable shadows across the ceiling when its dark outside.
The homeowners have an obvious love of art and Brasil Arquitetura took this into account with their artistic application of the functional elements. From the chandelier to the fireplace to the steel wall that frames the stairwell, each function has been created as individual statements that flow cohesively together forming a singular vignette. The homeowner has then taken it one step further with their collection of art lining the walls and carefully placed accessories.
Even the arrangement of windows within the front of the home is an artistic arrangement of natural lighting.
The architects easily could have only provided a void in the concrete wall for the stair landing, but they expanded on the visual by adding in a second void, creating a mezzanine look out from the 2nd volume to the front yard.
The mezzanine also allows natural light to permeate the inner core of the 2nd storey.
Main Floor Plan
2nd Storey Floor Plan
Rooftop Floor Plan
Brasil Arquitetura
Photography by Nelson Kon
