Brazil

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By Adalberto Vilela and Sylvia Ficher

Even when driving through an exclusively residential neighborhood of the city, one can spot the *Casa dos Arcos* (House of Arches) in the distance. This is how the Nivaldo Borges residence is known, placidly sprawling across the gentle topography of an immense site, unmistakable for its reddish hue. The temptation to approach is strong; paradoxically, the absence of fences or gates is intimidating. With no way to announce our arrival, we ignore the uncomfortable feeling of trespassing and head forward.

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If the two outermost transverse beams of the roof slab descended to form the end walls of the main floor, they would align perfectly with the perimeter of the floor slab. Had the longitudinal beams not cantilevered twenty centimeters to support and offset the concrete end walls, there would be no room for the upper gutter, nor would a gap be created in the main floor to indirectly illuminate the interior. If low concrete-block walls had not been raised along the sides of this floor, the facades would lack their two overlapping planes and the constant shadow between them—and, at times, a third, intermediate plane.

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