Architects: Paulo César Lourenço and Bruno Sarmento
Location: Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
Structural Engineering: Protec Engenharia
Construction: Suport Engenharia
Electrical & Sanitary Services: Primus Engenharia
Site Area: 600 sqm
Constructed Area: 3,300 sqm
Project year: 2005-2007
Photographs: Marcio Brigatto
Maiorca is a residential building designed by Lourenço | Sarmento Arquitetos in the city of Juiz de Fora, Brazil, formed by five units of proximally 260 sqm and a duplex penthouse, situated in a high class residential area of the city.
The conceptual process aimed to create an integrated unity by the articulation of the different components, understanding the building as a volume and not as independent facades. That intention leads to a composition of added regular elements, represented by the cantilevered verandas, tied up together by the large gable that begins as a pergola and ends crowing the entire complex. Beyond this aesthetical function this frame gives protection and privacy to the users from the views of the other surrounding buildings and from the strength of the undesirable sun. Those elements are attached in the more massive volume of the staircase that anchors the whole.
The glass in the curtain wall and in the spider system of the hall, added to the wood vertical panels, works as negatives in the contrast between the filled and unfilled surfaces of the composition of folded panels and volumes.
Units had their layout idealized focusing on optimizing the pursued characteristics of the three zones of use – social, service and private – opening the living areas to the contact with the street and the views of the surroundings and locating the rooms in the rear area, much quieter and facing the morning sun. The kitchen and laundry are located in the middle, articulating those two zones. The openness of the social areas and the integration between living and the veranda were also an important issue in this process, reached by the special attention given to the structural system adopted – ribbed slab and the external location of the pillars – and to the detailing of the sliding doors of the facade that hides completely behinds a providential wall with their trail inlaid in the floor, free of unevenness between interior and exterior.
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- plan 01
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- plan 02
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- plan 03
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- plan 04 to 07
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- plan 08
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- plan 09 penthouse
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- front elevation
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- section 01
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- section 02
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- detail 01
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- detail 02
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- detail 03
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- sketch
Beautiful!
Congratulations! it is ideed a great project!
love it, so clean!
Brasilians arquitects rules !
Quite simple and elegant, very good work
truly beautiful!
modern & refreshing – this building demonstrates that the last century did offer us the opportunity to make structural expression beautiful.
It’s a nice building. I wouldn’t say its beautiful or remarkable in any way.
ok, it is not a remarkable design but is simple, clean lines, easy to use and look at, minimum materials, no mess around with expensive use of building technics, just good architecture and a nice place for everybody to live in, i want to buy one of these flats, well done!
Simple and freshy… would be comfortable to live in. love it.
I really like it. .. i ‘d like to live in it.. !
Simple, clean, beautiful. Love it!
Congratulations!
white!
gr8!!!
Nicely articulated, though I agree that it’s not really remarkable.
i just want to say congratulations for two things: the first is for the project, and the second is for the publication here. it’s very important for brazilian architecture, and all of this give us motivation to make better.
crap…boring..there’s nothing break thru on this one…
I just like the exploded axon… too bad it couldn’t remain that way. feels like something was lost or not explored.
maybe its the fact that it is only an exercise in designing an elegant facade. its a nice building but nothing amazing.
I agree mith Punjabi, it’s boring.. it’s like those buildings we used to design in our first year of architecture…
@Punjabi and Lu
I can assume by your commentary that you both only looked at the pictures. I really think that with further analisys of the sections and plans both of you would realise it is far from a first year project. And Imagine if every building ever built brought a “break-thru”!? I’d really feel sorry about that, because it would banalize the acctual break-thru, and would make architects crazy, and with a feeling of under achivement. On top of that, and then I could understand your kind of feedback, neither of you is aware of the local conditioners, thus this building DO break a paradigma that is tipycal in our city (and considered the only sell-able tipology, wich of course this building proves wrong), that is placing the master bedroom at the front of the building.
But hey, that’s just my two cents!
*neither of you ARE aware*
Sorry for my bad English
Wonderful liveable architecture! Beautiful buildings doesn’t have to break the mould. And as a message to all young architects, please design from the inside-out. People have to live inside – a basic necessity…
i think i like the colour scheme
everybody who study architecture know that is so difficult to judge a project, because is necessary many analisys of it in aspects like design, function, beauty, relation with city etc.
to say that the project don’t have nothing amazing..well, i don’t thing that we can get this like an concret opinion about architecture. and i really believe that a lot of things were explored, otherwise, it wouldn’t be in this web site. The simple volumetric elements make the complex of it. like less is more.
simplicity is complexity given a meaning . this ia great work. beauty is indeed simple
very beautiful building , i like it
ver good building
elegant and simple…nice!!!
Im etudient in architectur;and i need more infirmation abaut it for my raport(my annalyse)for ewempel:
wich point make these appartement difirente?please ansere me,thanks
Conhecendo a legislacao brasileira,esse trabalho eh de tirar o chapeu.Parabens Paulo César Lourenço e Bruno Sarmento,muito bonito e otima solucao de planta. #Brasil!
Pretty exterior design, but when you see the plans it all goes down the drain.
The architect doesn’t know how to place bathrooms inside a house: one is attached directly to the living room, only great if you want to watch TV directly from the toilet, and another is blocking entirely the natural light access to a room in a South facade.
Also the separation between elevator and access staircase, with both having separate hallways, and allowing someone to enter the house either from the living room or from the kitchen is very weird.. although i might be missing something here.
I like the light shafts in the middle of the plan, but that’s pretty much it, all the rest is pretty weak.