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Magical Minimalism in Tropical Brazil

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 Bento e Azevedo Arquitetos Associados have designed a sublimely minimal house set in a tropical lawn-scape in Camaçari, Brazil.

2House Carqueija has a dreamlike surreal quality.

3Its organized, cool and glossy white living space that creates a sanctuary in the sultry disorganization of the tropical jungle.

4Yet this pure white space is fully open to yet bars the encroaching green vegetation without.

5The smooth glossy white surfaces continue outdoors, marking off civilization from the jungle.

Although the plan reveals a very small and straightforward design, the house seems to encompass a surprising number of beautiful viewpoints.

3The lighting design creates a different arrangement of bold shapes at night.

4Formal crisp lines of white look great from every angle, offsetting the greenery in tropical Brazil.

Summing up the extreme simplicity of the house, this simple trio of cubed wood slabs makes for an elegant coffee table.

The effect is created of thick walls, because the horizontal window is so deep-set.

But as the exterior view shows, this window is simply extruded out from the building envelope.

It’s an interesting detail from both inside and out.

Another piece of lovely detailing is this stone stair step sliced into a larger chunk of stone.

The huge redwood entry door magically combines both welcoming warmth and gravitas.
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The outdoor living room faces east into a cool back yard pool, cantilevered out from the house.

This cantilevered section is suggestive of the sort of traditional deck attached to a house, but this is simply incorporated directly into the white slab of the outdoor living room, reducing the “deck” to its most elemental essence.

Sometimes a plan holds surprises.

But the surprise here is that the plan to this house of so many lovely and varied views seems relatively ordinary.