The clients had already decided: the house would have a large central courtyard and would develop around it. A large plot of approximately 1,200m² was purchased and, luckily for us, we were tasked with bringing this project to fruition. Admirers of exposed concrete, landscaping and nature in general, we soon realized that we would have the support for any ideas that would increase the sustainability of the project.

We encouraged the house to be laid out as a single-storey, since there was no reason to consider anything other than that, given the large plot and the relatively compact program of needs. We couldn't forget the extensive views of the condominium, which is why the idea was to build a large garden roof on the slab, with external access independent of the house, to enjoy the surrounding views.

It is well known that the correct placement of the house on the plot in relation to the sun represents a good part of the journey towards thermal comfort in the interior of the project, which is why the courtyard, the protagonist of the implementation of this project, opens to the southeast, with the bedrooms oriented to the NE and the living room volume itself, also to the southeast, helps to cast shade on part of the courtyard as the sun goes down. The layout follows a U-shaped distribution, sectoring different uses for each volume: Service, social and intimate. The latter is 1m above the rest of the house and gives the bedrooms even more privacy.

The 330m2 house has a lean program despite its 4 suites. With no swimming pool and no leisure area defined by a covered space, a different request caught the eye: A mobile barbecue, in the American style, was to be located in the open courtyard, along with outdoor furniture that could comfortably accommodate the family, making the open courtyard in fact the living room of the house, but even cooler, since this room would be outdoors. The horizontal volumetry of the house integrates extensive eaves that surround the façades and are essential in protecting against direct solar radiation, providing shaded areas and consequently increasing thermal comfort inside the building.

Slatted exposed concrete reigns supreme in the house. Made experimentally by the construction team, the client approved the quality of a prototype wall made at the start of the project, which was later adopted as the cladding for the entire house: walls, ceiling and floor, all exposed and definitive. Once unformed, all that remained was for the material to be treated by a specialized team. It requires no maintenance, no painting, no plastering, no plastering, no plastering, nothing. It's ready as soon as you unmold it.

The house also has a 10,000 L cistern for watering the gardens and the green roof, as well as a generation capacity of 5,372 kW/year, equivalent to approximately 420 Kw/month.