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0 Architects: Baixo Impacto Arquitetura
Area: 275 m²
Year: 2022
Photographer: Oolhar.co
Lead Architect: Ana Ruivo
Responsible Architects: Paulo Rodriguez, Carolina Dal Soglio
Architect: Fernanda Serra
Junior Architect: Ana Flávia
Engineering Intern: Mateus Villela
Construction company: da Terra bioconstruction
Hydrosanitary Project: Tainan Silveira
Structural Project: Paulo Magno
Landscaping: Monte Sião Landscaping
Administration and Construction Management: Low Impact Architecture
City: Florianópolis
Country: Brazil
Source: Archdaily BR
Description provided by the project team. The Avocado Tree House arises from the desire of a couple to create a spacious and welcoming space to host their family, where the boundaries between the interior and exterior, the house and the garden, blend harmoniously, providing a sense of connectivity and expansiveness. With this proposal in mind, the house is divided into two distinct blocks.
The Southwest block houses the bedrooms, bathrooms, and the service area. It is more private and solid, consisting of two floors and structured in concrete. On the other hand, the Northeast social block is more spacious and is defined by a robust structure made of reclaimed wood, whose marks tell a story. This structure rests on two metal beams, which allowed for the creation of a wide opening to the outdoor space.
Throughout the entire house, a sequence of landscaped roofs at different heights is part of the adopted bioclimatic strategy, allowing for the control of sunlight and natural ventilation, contributing to passive climate control. During the summer, the roofs shade the interior spaces, while in the winter, they enable direct sunlight to enter strategic points through openings between the roofs and translucent roof planes that use bamboo as a solar filter. The high openings between these planes also allow for ventilation and cooling control during the summer, utilizing the chimney effect.
The rooftop landscaping offers several benefits, such as increasing thermal inertia and reducing the heat island effect, in addition to creating a pathway through the gardens that leads us to the highest point of the house, allowing us to glimpse the sea.
Separating the two blocks, a large raw earth wall built using the artisanal and ancestral technique of wattle and daub brings the warm sensation of earth, establishing a dialogue with the robust woods and natural stone baseboard. Additionally, it contributes to the bioclimatic strategy by retaining the heat from the winter sun during the day and gradually releasing it at the end of the day and at night, warming the rooms during the coldest moments. Being made of raw earth, this wall also plays a fundamental role in controlling internal humidity, functioning as a large dehumidifier. This imposing wall has a natural earth plaster but reveals its composition through a “window of truth,” without plaster, allowing a glimpse of its construction and materiality.
The Essential Guide to Sustainable Architecture – Ebook
Regarding the selected materials, priority was given to those with high durability and low environmental impact, such as reclaimed wood, carefully chosen for each space and function, wattle and daub walls, and natural coatings, including lime paint produced on-site. In addition to these materials, iron also stands out, being used selectively in the two large beams that support the wide span and in the railings, while cement is used for floor finishes and kitchen countertops. The aesthetic choice was to embrace the rawness of each material and create a play of harmony between different textures and colors.
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