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Architects: sauermartins
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Pedro Kok, Cássio Sauer
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Lead Architects: Cássio Sauer, Elisa t Martins
A small wooden shed. In order to learn from its specific context from the common and from the local, the possible interactions between contemporary architecture and traditional practices of wood construction are investigated.
The small construction explores this constructive language. tests modules, possible spans, fixing systems, and finishes at the same time as it addresses the relation of space, light, and the limits between inside and outside.
The intention of reclaiming the importance of artisanal work in the building process becomes essential to the understanding of the project, which seeks to express an architecture that is possible in our context, based upon the usage of vernacular building techniques and of traditional materials, as well as upon the presence of a qualified craftsmanship with important practical knowledge in woodworking - values which are gradually losing their relevance in the current construction scenario. therefore the small volume, as an annex to the existing residence, seeks to establish connections with both the house and its garden as well as with a wider cultural and regional context.
Placed on the inner corner at the back of the plot, the building is surrounded by large vegetation, fruit trees, and a small vegetable garden.
The internal area accommodates an indefinite atelier space, as well as a small storage for gardening tools and a firewood rack - auxiliary areas that have gradually taken on an essential role in daily domestic activities.
In a way, these indeterminate uses of the spaces allowed a study of this project as a diaphanous volume that explores, throughout its construction, different possible relationships between the indoors and the outdoors.
The visible wood structure shows the repetition of the structural elements - beams and columns every 80 cm -, revealing the fittings between the pieces and the sequence of modules. In this sense, the solid wood contrasts with the light industrialized elements, such as the polycarbonate tiles and the laminated timber panels on the ceiling and floor surfaces.
The external polycarbonate coating provides a translucent layer, which offers natural lighting and makes it possible to observe slight transparency, capturing the shade given by the vegetation and bringing it into the small space.
The volume is elevated from the natural terrain by a solid concrete block base which not only separates the wood from the soil humidity but also accommodates the construction to the topography, generating an elevated patio area - an entrance corridor.
The built area of 25 sq ft is virtually duplicated by using the roof as an elevated garden space. The ascent path thus leads to an outdoor seating area among the tree canopies.
A skylight over the access volume to the top floor provides a surprising perspective of the trees from within the atelier, while the pivot window facing north frames the existing garden view.
Being a fundamental aspect of the project, the use of wood allowed both the financial feasibility of the construction and the employment of a construction technique with a smaller impact and less interference in the residents’ daily lives.
As a result, the small project aims to preserve part of the local identity and culture. it is both an approach to its history and a connection to the landscape, evoking a certain essential simplicity of the relation between place and architecture.
