Joanopolis House

JOANOPOLIS HOUSE

UNA Arquitetos

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

ARCHITECTS
UNA Arquitetos

LOCATION
Joanópolis, Brazil

CATEGORY
Houses

PHOTOGRAPHS
Bebete Viégas

PROJECT YEAR
2008

STRUCTURE
stec do brasil

LANDSCAPE
Soma Arquitetos

CONTRACTOR
Construtora Lomar

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

Text description provided by architect.

The house was designed for friends who used to visit Carambó, a farm two kilometers away where we built a pavilion in 2002.

The region is located at the foot of the one thousand feet high Mantiqueira Mountain, on the border of São Paulo and Minas Gerais states.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

The condominium is located along the banks of Piracaia Lake which belongs to the water supply system of the capital, and nearby the village of Lopo, which used to be an old route of Pilgrims from the XIX century.

Commonly encountered in these condos, lush houses with its constructions occupy almost all of their own sites, leaving no space between one another.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

Our attempt was to seek the opposite: get more integrated with the descending slope bringing about its attributes, as to keep the house protected from the surrounding constructions, searching for comfort.

The process was realized in sections, using the balance of soil volume to fulfill the embankment.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

The stone walls were built with the use of local techniques with rocks collected locally, originating a continuous but not straight line, for self-sustention, that forms the framing wall.

Thus, three interrelated courtyards are formed outside the inner rooms of the house, bedrooms, living room and services.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

The walls broaden out and draw back as if in a movement giving room to the internal spaces.

Out from the street there is only the view of the white tower which holds the whole infra structure (kitchen, chimneys, water tank and heaters) and a 8x40 meters horizontal ruler comes up as the roof garden.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

This solution guarantees efficient thermal inertia in places with a wide range of temperatures changes between day and night.

A first plateau, where cars can be parked, comes in an intermediate level between the street and the house.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

This level takes you up to the roof garden or downstairs through a little tunnel leading to the entrance gateway that reaches the courtyard outside from the living room.

The suggested usage would be the mingling of many people in simultaneous activities - a party house.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

The conviviality spaces are gathered by the fireplace and ovens, split by the volume of the kitchen.

During the day these ambiences open up completely, giving place to a vast porch, and by night they can be closed up keeping the transparency.

The glass sliding doors are withdrawn two meters from the facade, heading mostly to the north, allowing a vast view, which meets the dazzling distant outlook, and to the south opening to the courtyards.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

Wooden sliding panels were also designed for the bedrooms, in order to darken its interior.

The characteristics of the materials were respected. The molded concrete is structured in modulated spans of 4m, regardless its length.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

Moreover, the specifications and details were premises to the cost saving construction process.

The house opens up to a second grass-plateau leveled with the pool. Located at the edge, it pleases the eyes with visual continuity between its waters and the lake far in the distance.

Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas

The construction of the pool and its solarium, holds underneath a pool table room, a storage and the pool equipment, which opens up to the third plateau. Construction is landscape, geography, setting and history that melt away as an object.


Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas


Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas


Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas


Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas


Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas
Joanopolis House
© Bebete Viégas


Joanopolis House
Planta Casa
Joanopolis House
Planta Anexo


Joanopolis House
Corte Acesso
Joanopolis House
Corte Piscina
Joanopolis House
Elevação Represa
Joanopolis House
Elevação Rua


Joanopolis House
Corte Ampliado Fornos
Joanopolis House
Implantação