Taipa Residence
TAIPA RESIDENCE
Studio [+] Valéria Gontijo
ARCHITECTS
Studio [+] Valéria Gontijo
ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIORS
Valéria Gontijo + Arquitetos
DESIGN TEAM
Valéria Gontijo, Isabela Moura E Isabela Valença, Sérgio Oliveira, Gabriel Laranjeira, Marina Grandão
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Ana Paula Roseo
LIGHTING DESIGN
Ilux
FURNITURE
Bontempo
WINDOWS
Holzi
STRUCTURES
Situare
FLOORING
Ike Pedras
FOUNDATIONS
Situare
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Situare
CONSTRUCTION
Simão Construções
COMMUNICATION AND TEXT
Matheus Pereira Comunicação
HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
Situare
PHOTOGRAPHS
Front
AREA
620 m²
YEAR
2024
LOCATION
Brasília, Brazil
CATEGORY
Houses
English description provided by the architects.
Vernacular architecture with a contemporary language: taipa and minimalism in a 620m² project in Brasília.
Designed by Valéria Gontijo + Arquitetos, Taipa Residence is a manifesto for a more sensorial, integrated, and site-rooted architecture.
Located on a small estate in Lago Sul, Brasília, the single-story residence was commissioned by a couple seeking a compact, functional retreat deeply connected to the landscape.
A sloped plot with privileged views of Lake Paranoá offered the starting point for a bold creation: an L-shaped house that respects the scale of its surroundings and treats materiality as experience.
The choice of construction technique — rammed earth — defines the project’s identity. An ancient and vernacular method, taipa uses raw earth compacted into wooden molds, harnessing the soil from the site itself.
Beyond its sustainability, the technique offers excellent thermal and acoustic performance, creating a naturally comfortable environment.
“We were drawn to taipa precisely because it escapes the usual codes of concrete and stone,” says Valéria. “We wanted something more experimental, yet still built with pure forms.”
Designed to be fully lived in, the house features a compact and integrated program: just two suites, a living room connected to a gourmet area, kitchen, laundry, covered veranda, two-car garage, and a pool.
Every space was conceived to encourage togetherness, with lower ceilings and a warm atmosphere — like a shelter made of earth, wood, and natural light.
The materials were selected to create a tactile palette: rustic granite flooring, reclaimed wood, biribinha latticework, and a décor that bridges rusticity and comfort through subtle gestures.
The gourmet space, integrated into the social area, reflects the clients’ passion for cooking. Instead of separating, it connects. As Valéria explains, “This house is about receiving, about celebrating.
Everything here is sensorial. You feel the texture of the walls, the muffled sound inside, the soft light filtering through — it’s a house that embraces you.”
The taipa was executed by local labor, with technical guidance from the client himself, who was personally involved in the process.
The initial prototype was developed through research with specialists in São Paulo, but the construction was carried out in Brasília by professionals experienced in alternative building techniques, such as those used in the nearby Chapada dos Veadeiros region.
Taipa Residence is the first of four residences designed for a family compound on the same estate. It inaugurates a series of homes defined by originality, simplicity, and a sense of permanence.
By merging a centuries-old technique with contemporary design and a precise curation of materials and uses, the project proposes a new way of inhabiting: conscious, sensitive, and deeply Brazilian.
