One of the most significant contributions of modern architecture to global practice was the five points proposed by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. This set of guidelines represented the formal expression of the ideals and principles of contemporary architectural thought, finding its paradigmatic application in the Villa Savoye, the iconic residence designed by the modern master in Poissy, France.
As they were transposed to other contexts, these Corbusian principles gained varying degrees of prominence based on local references and demands. In Brazil, the five points took on a new expressiveness, driven both by the direct contact of major national modernists with Le Corbusier and by how effectively these design guidelines served the architectural discourse then being constructed in the country. Arguably, the most widely replicated point in Brazilian architecture is the use of pilotis to create open ground floors for buildings across various programs, with notable examples such as the Gustavo Capanema Palace in Rio de Janeiro.
In residential design, this element—which elevates the structure, creates a transition between the natural and built environments, and frees up the floor plan—remains a recurring strategy in Brazilian architecture to this day. Below is a selection of contemporary projects that employ this historically significant device to rethink today's domestic spaces.
