MS House

The MS residence was a project we developed with a lot of freedom, in view of the association between the open and relaxed spirit of the couple of future residents, noticeable since the first meeting, with the need to create areas with little compartmentalization for the project. These characteristics contributed to the exploration of new possibilities for architectural design.

The land is located at a privileged condominium, about one hour away from São Paulo, at the end of a small street lined with tall eucalyptus trees. The view is open to a wide landscape, dominated by the Polo field, and marked by the distant outline of mountains and forests. The plot in question has only one side neighbor. The other side is limited by a large garden slope, located in the common area of the enterprise.

From the analysis of the conditions of the land we could see that it would be more appropriate to lift the residence in relation to the ground to enhance the view. In this way, we could improve natural ventilation and insolation. Still, this elevation strategy would guarantee a greater visual amplitude for the residence, so as not to induce the feeling that the building is in a lower level, given the context of the house’s implantation, located between the side slope and huge flat area where the Polo field is situated.

At the MS residence, we proposed to reverse the classic typology of the townhouse, characterized by the location of the living areas on the ground floor, and the bedrooms on the upper floor. Based on the suggested inversion, we located rooms and intimate areas on the ground level, shaded by an overhang. Its privacy was guaranteed by the landscaping. The social and external areas – which, in a country house, are the most permanent rooms – are situated on the upper floor. Thus, living rooms, dining rooms, and gourmet cuisine are mixed with the balconies, terrace, pool and sauna, which enjoy the best views, sun, winds and privacy. A large external staircase, centralized in the construction and surrounded by a water mirror, guarantees the connection of these areas with the rest of the land.

In terms of construction systems, we adopted a mixed structure that incorporates the use of reinforced concrete, metal pillars and laminated wood cover. This variability of solutions was adopted to convey the idea that the house itself would consist only of a “hollow pergola” suspended on a solid stone base, in dark gray.

Another important aspect of the development of the work was the achieved integration between architectural design, furniture design and decoration of environments. This rich process was developed with the great interaction established with customers during the construction period of the residence, which contributed to the design of the decoration and woodwork solutions, with emphasis on the living room sofa, designed exclusively for the MS residence.