The layout of this residence built on a steeply sloping plot of land in São Paulo is reminiscent of the rationalist architecture of the German Mies van der Rohe. Famous, among others, for the pavilion built in Barcelona to host the 1929 Universal Exhibition, still open to visitors today, on the slopes of Montjuïc.

Here, as there, simple geometry coexists. The same integration dynamics based on the overt use of glass. The same desire to permanently merge with the landscape and feel close to the water. In addition to a definitive attachment to materials considered essential in the vocabulary of architecture: concrete and steel.

Kept almost a century apart, it is not surprising that the dominant theme between the two constructions continues to be transparency.

The idea of ​​opening the house to its surrounding space to better capture light and create spectacular views for its residents, from different points of view. vista.

A challenge: maximum transparency without compromising privacy

“Working on the limit between maximum transparency and the ideal level of privacy for each environment was my biggest challenge”, says São Paulo architect Fernanda Marques, author of the project. “There was also a need to insert the house into the land, respecting the existing trees and, of course, the considerable difference in level”, she points out.

Another reference point, the helical staircase, provides access to the mezzanine where the home theater, gym and terrace with fireplace are located. Reserved for the intimate area, the lower floor has a children’s room, in addition to three suites, and in the largest of them, access is through a large hall that distributes circulation to the bathrooms, master and lady, and to the closet.

However, this did not mean that the architect gave up a sense of welcome typical of a family home. “In the interior design, I chose to create more intimate settings based on the use of indirect light -especially in the living room, which has double height ceilings- and the use of warmer coverings, such as wood. After all, for me, home has to look like home”, she concludes.