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This article is part of our new series "Material in Focus", where we ask architects to share with us their creative process through the choice of materials that define important parts of the construction of their buildings.
The architecture of Casa 28 shows itself as an extension of the arid and exuberant landscape of the Cerrado. A variety of perspectives unfolds as you walk through the house. A family looking for tranquility and connection with nature commissioned this urban refuge located 10 minutes from the National Congress in Brasilia. The elements have different heights that confirm a spatial hierarchy. Extensive walls, coated with polymeric mortar, define fluid spaces and openings placed in all directions integrate cohabitating areas. We talked with architect Samuel Lamas from Equipe Lamas to learn more about the choices of materials used in the project and the influence these choices had on the design concept. Read the interview below:
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What were the main materials you used for this project?
SL: Brick, steel, wood, glass and hydraulic tile.
What were your main sources of inspiration and influence when you were choosing the materials used in the project?
SL: The colors of the landscape.
Describe how decisions on materials influenced the design of the project.
SL: We wanted to connect the in-door life of the house to the landscape. Windows made of ipê wood allow us to look out to the forest via a material that is part of it - the wood. The hydraulic tile floor resembles clay, a continuity of the reddish earth of the cerrado. The ipê lining in the living room and balcony reinforces the connection with the outside. The walls used a polymer mortar, a coating composed of natural materials with a golden sand color. We looked for a tone that would make it pleasant to look at the light reflected on the outer walls. The earthy color fulget on some walls give the impression of the garden continuing on into the house.
What were the advantages that this material offered for the construction of the project?
SL: The feeling of belonging to its environment.
Did the choice of materials impose any kind of challenges to the project?
SL: We sought the proper use of each material. In order to do that, we worked in partnership with all the teams that dedicated themselves to the project. The ideas we came up with for Casa 28 were born of real needs and all its parts contribute to its functioning. It has no aesthetic devices. Aesthetics is a consequence.
Did you ever consider the possibility of other materials for the project? If so, how would that have changed the project?
SL: The materials were revealed while projecting, in a mental exercise of imagining the experience of the house. The whole feeling was shared with my father, the engineer Ruy Lamas, who also offered his practical vision. We decided when there was a consensus.
How did you research suppliers and builders suitable for materials used in the project?
SL: On the internet and with recommendations from people I trust.
House 28 / Equipe Lamas
34 Engineering and Incorporation Eng. Ruy Lamas, Eng. Júlio Novita, Eng. Vladimir Barbán João Carlos Ramos Magalhães Paisagismo From the architect. The architecture of the House 28 presents as an extension of the arid and lush landscape from the Cerrado Biome.
.jpg?1489775474 "This Brazilian House Uses Different Materials as an Extension of the Surrounding Arid Landscape")
