Country houses usually are found in remote areas, therefore, they often demand placement strategies that respect the context and dialogue with the landscape while bringing more thermal comfort and natural lighting. Most of the time, these solutions bring passive strategies that, along with the choice of materials and construction techniques, can provide an even more sustainable project. Get to know seven Brazilian residences that are examples of this theme.
Serrana House had little cross ventilation and natural lighting. With internal alterations in the floor plan, Studio Coplanar allowed the constant entrance of natural light and gave the feeling of wider interior space. The alterations were: placing gardens alongside the interior areas, including an external service area at the back of the kitchen, and replacing the existing small opaque glass windows at the back of the house.
Siqueira + Azul Arquitetura sought natural lighting and ventilation for each segment of Endless Horizon House through internal gardens or skylights. Sliding, pivoting panels, and folding doors are catalysts for cross ventilation. Covered balconies with wooden slats extend the continuity from indoor to outdoor, creating shading zones within lit spaces.
In the Brazilian cerrado, Palicourea House was designed by BLOCO Arquitetos with different treatments. The bedroom, home office, and bathroom areas in both buildings were treated as an “extended stay area” and were covered with solid concrete slabs that delimit an “air mattress” between them and the wooden roof. This empty area is also an open and naturally ventilated space that promotes greater thermal comfort for the internal spaces right below them, providing space for the distribution of most installations and equipment. The social living spaces, such as the living room of the house and the studio lounge, are equipped with large, glazed areas, sliding window frames, bug screens, and wooden sliding louvers that allow for constant natural ventilation and light.
Guararema House is built with rammed earth sealing all the walls. These seals are thick, heavy, massive, gradually manufactured, and feature a smooth texture that reveals each seated layer. The technique is quite old, but it was performed with a more modern method. To provide greater durability, the technique known as Stabilized Rammed Earth - SRE was used, in which cement is added to the original soil mixture to compensate for possible damage caused by contact with water - guaranteeing all the benefits that rammed earth can offer.
Silvia Acar Arquitetura designed walls made with boards bolted to galvanized steel mullions: on the outside cement, boards fixed on a water-repellent membrane, a core with a thermal insulation layer, and the inner side in 18mm Paricá plywood sheets. The panels also work as a horizontal lock, stiffening the structure. In SBS Chalet, the panels provide bracing for the structure. In contrast to the light wood apparent throughout the interior of the chalet, the external faces of the walls are covered with pine boards charred with a blowtorch at the work itself, protecting the wood with a mineral layer and forming a ventilated facade system.
Located on a steep slope, Casa Mantiqueira was designed by ARKITITO Arquitetura. The design seeks to take advantage of the horizon view, which stimulated the flatter and more horizontal shape of the house, which is surrounded by green hills and native vegetation. Design techniques were prioritized to achieve better thermal performance by using cross ventilation that increases visual permeability throughout the building.
Finally, in the search for a material that is relevant in terms of sustainability and the environment, the offices Felipe SS Rodrigues and Sergio Sampaio Arquitetura + Planning, when designing Residência Haras Larissa, opted for the use of cross laminated timber (CLT). In addition to the structural qualities, the material adds aesthetic value to the entire project.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on December 01, 2022.
