Brazilian architecture firm Jacobsen Arquitetura has built a pavilion-like vacation home in a lush green in Itaúna, Brazil. 

Named RN Residence, the house was designed for a couple, for their children and grandchildren to spend their weekends and vacations on the edge of a large dam, in a pleasant place where the possibilities of integration between architecture and nature stand out.

The cross-shaped home addresses to traditional Brazilian farmhouses with its finishing materials and details. Embracing openness from both sides, the house, covered by a thin cantilevered roof, follows a simple layout that flows in nature.

From the initial visits to the project site, the architects have identified the scenic potential of the large dam that dominated the landscape. 

"To take advantage of the numerous options for nautical entertainment present at the site, several summer houses were built next to the water," said Jacobsen Arquitetura. 

"In general, these houses were located as close as possible to the water line. On the family's own land, there was a house set up close to the dam."

After several site analyses, the site’s conditions allowed the architects to identify the principles that would guide the development of the project. 

"There was an amazing leafy native tree, of the Vinhático species, at the back of the existing house," they added.

"We even noticed that the view of the dam was wider and unobstructed from a higher point of view and retreated in relation to the water, due to the smooth topography."

For this reason, the project was developed around the tree, so that they could create a large flat and landscaped area, defined by the level of the roots. 

The ground floor, plan and asymmetric, frames the courtyard, which is delimited laterally by rooms and balconies and, at the back, by the bedrooms. With this spatial configuration, all the rooms of the residence had a wide view of the external area.

Another important element in design was the creation of a wooden deck under the canopy of the tree, which connects the house to the garden in a natural way. 

It is important to note that the service areas are laterally oriented next to the car access. In this place, there are pivoting doors that open the entrance hall, where a “garden” of iron ore stones recalls the region's productive vocation, seeking to establish connections with the specificities of the region.

Following the traditional typologies of Brazilian farmhouses, the architects used granite material that appears both on stone walls and on the floors of social areas to evoke the same feeling. 

"We also choose to use the Freijó wood applied to the ceiling and to the hollow panels of the bedrooms," the studio continued.

The wood is another key element that is used in the project, allowing the configuration of a contemporary spatial concept. Providing the integration of external and internal areas, the use of wood was linked to the creation of spaces endowed with filtered natural light, in addition to contributing to the exhibition of important pieces of art and the internal furniture of the residence.

Site plan

Ground floor plan

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Project facts

Project name: RN Residence 

Architects: Jacobsen Arquitetura

Location: Itaúna, Brazil. 

Size: 1250m2 

Date: 2020 

Team: Paulo Jacobsen, Bernardo Jacobsen, Edgar Murata, Marcelo Vessoni, Christian Rojas, Daniel Arce, Fábio Fridman

Interior Design: Jacobsen Arquitetura

Interior Design Team: Marcela Guerreiro, Thammy Nozaki, Marcela Penteado

Landscape Design: Rodrigo Oliveira

Lighting Design: Foco

All images © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

All drawings © Jacobsen Arquitetura

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