The topography of the plot and the need of the Swiss-Brazilian family shaped the concept and the building. The terrain is very steepy, with a height difference of more than 10 meter between the lower point at the street level and the higher part at the back of the house. In oder to settle the building in the smoothest way on the natural ground the concept was divided in three main volumes: the garage, swimming pool and the house itself.Since the garage had to be placed on the street level and the main building was placed on the top of the plot, the swimming pool and a water mirror were located in the middle to generate a pleasant transition between them.
The geometry of the dwelling itself is a very simple rectangle, therefore the common areas are in the first floor, directly connected to the swimming pool and the external areas, and the bedrooms are in the upper level to take advantage of the gorgeous view to the nearby hills of the Piracicaba region.
The pre-existent stone wall is definitely a highlight of the project, thus the new building was placed in a manner to blend with the existing stone wall, preserving it but at same time pointing clearly what is new.
The clients wished to have a concrete house, so all the walls and structural elements are defined to be made in exposed concrete. But this material is going to be casted with a modular system of plastic formwork which can be reused several times. The decision was taken to improve performance, to reduce the cost of the construction and to avoid the waste of wood, which is usually used for the formworking in this region.
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