Montes Claros House

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

Montes Claros House

Venta Arquitetos

ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Gregório Rosenbusch

CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES
Aragão Construtora

MANUFACTURERS
Holcim, Belgo Mineira, Deca, Docol

ENGINEERING
Ricardo Barelli - Teto Engenharia

PROJECT TEAM
Mariana Meneguetti

PHOTOGRAPHS
Federico Cairoli

AREA
240 m²

YEAR
2021

LOCATION
Montes Claros, Brazil

CATEGORY
Houses

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

Montes Claros is a city located in the northern region of Minas Gerais, with intense economic activity and service offerings, constituting a regional center.

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

Located on a more or less flat area 700m above sea level, the city is surrounded by a mountain range that rises to an altitude of 1,000m.

This geographical condition establishes a horizon contained by hills with soft contours, which in some way refer to the name of the city itself.

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

The lot has a slight slope towards a nearby stream, recently channelized and urbanized with marginal avenues.

This difference in level allows to enjoy a privileged perspective of the surroundings from the bottom of the land.

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

On the other hand, in the northern part of the lot, a small forest with fruit trees was cultivated over the years.

This, in turn, gives continuity to a contiguous forest, located on plots not yet built on, contributing to the formation of a significant green area in the context of increasing urbanization.

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

The implementation of the house meets some intentions, including seeking out the mountains that surround the city on the distant horizon, as well as establishing a close relationship with the forest.

In this sense, on the upper floor, directional visual relationships facing the outside are established, while on the ground floor we sought to establish a horizontal, multidirectional and involving relationship between the interior programs and the exterior.

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

In order to reinforce this character, the permanent seizure of the entire lot was encouraged, based on a visual reading of the plot's boundaries.

To this end, care was taken to minimize the opacity of the programs distributed on the ground floor, as well as to minimize the perception of the house's support points, incorporating, in this sense, trunks of Pau Preto (Cenostigma tocantinum) in the shoring of the raised floor.

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

The materiality of the construction is somehow also defined around the issue of implementation.

In this regard, the facades made of solid ceramic bricks that cover the entire upper floor seek to continue, despite their aerial condition, the dirt floor of the neighboring lots, the asphalt impregnated with the same earth, the walls with exposed ceramic bricks and the ceramic roofs of the neighborhood houses.

Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli


Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli


Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli


Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli
Montes Claros House
© Federico Cairoli

Montes Claros House
Southwest facade
Montes Claros House
Southeast facade
Montes Claros House
Longitudinal section
Montes Claros House
Longitudinal section - Patio


Montes Claros House
Plan - Ground floor
Montes Claros House
Plan - Upper floor
Montes Claros House
Site plan