Ms. Dalva has lived for decades in Vila Matilde, an outlying neighbourhood in São Paulo, Brazil. Close to her are cousins, uncles, brothers and friends. The house showed clear signs of deterioration and began to collapse. Terra e Tuma Arquitetos erected a low-cost building, with great control and agility. Careful demolition of the old house took four months, at the same time that the architects executed the foundation and reinforced retaining walls which supported neighbouring buildings. The house was completed six months after masonry work was set forth. The house is laid out in a 4.8 m by 25 m urban lot. On the ground floor, it features a living room, lavatory, kitchen, laundry and suite, to attend the needs of the homeowner. An articulation between lavatory, kitchen, laundry and an inner courtyard connects the living room at the front to the bedroom in the back. At the center, the green courtyard provides for light and ventilation. This area also serves as an extensions of the kitchen and laundry. The second floor accommodates a guest room, rendering a total area of 95 m2. A vegetable garden grows on top of the living room’s concrete slab ceiling, and can be covered later to accommodate future demands of the family.
Info © Terra e Tuma Arquitetos
Images © Pedro Kok
