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Terrá
Terrá
Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Terrá
Porto Alegre, Brazil
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2024
SIZE
25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft
BUDGET
$5M - 10M
Terrá emerges as an urban refuge and an architectural response to the growing need for reconnection between nature, well-being, and city life. Its concept is inspired by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward’s accidental discovery of Victorian terrariums, which revealed the possibility of creating self-sustaining ecosystems within protected environments. Based on this premise, Terrá was conceived as an urban microcosm, a building that operates like a living organism: balanced, integrated with its surroundings, and a promoter of quality of life. More than a residential development, the project positions itself as a contemporary sanctuary where tranquility, functionality, and environmental awareness intertwine to shape new ways of living.
Site and Relationship with the Surroundings
Situated on a tree-lined street in the Bela Vista neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Terrá engages directly with the urban landscape and Praça Carlos Simão Arnt, establishing visual and environmental continuity between public and private space.
The project maintains a strong visual connection with the square, linking all residential units and the rooftop condominium area to the urban landscape. The siting enhances the continuity of the front green space, while the excellent solar orientation ensures natural light, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency throughout the building.
The placement was carefully studied to reinforce this connection, transforming the front green area into a natural extension of the square and enhancing the urban pathway. The building does not impose itself on the neighborhood — it belongs to it, respecting the local scale, rhythm, and identity, while fully complying with current urban planning regulations.
Architecture and Volumetric Expression
Terrá’s volumetry adopts a contemporary and timeless architectural language, balancing horizontality and verticality in a refined manner. Cantilevered slabs create strong horizontal lines that define the façade’s identity, while metal brise-soleils at the base introduce lightness, rhythm, and passive solar protection. Large glazed openings ensure abundant natural light and strengthen the visual relationship with the city, making the urban landscape an integral part of residents’ everyday experience.
Architectural Program: Spaces for Living and Coexisting
The building comprises 18 residential units, arranged as two apartments per floor, with layouts of 135 m² and 157 m². The spatial organization prioritizes comfort and privacy:
The social areas face the main façade, favoring views and interaction.
The three suites are located at the rear, ensuring greater tranquility and acoustic insulation.
Flexible interior layouts allow for customization over time, increasing the building’s longevity and adaptability to changing family and social dynamics.
The ground-floor common areas were designed as extensions of the home, visually and physically connected to the front garden, fostering encounters, contemplation, and social interaction.
Materiality and Biophilic Design
Nature is a structuring element of Terrá. Planter boxes, green walls, and living roofs distribute vegetation across all levels of the building, seamlessly integrating architecture and landscape. The material palette reinforces this welcoming and sustainable character, featuring certified wood in ceilings and furnishings, bringing warmth, texture, and identity to the overall design. In the common area, a wall of Scandinavian moss stands out, providing aesthetic value while also acting as a natural air purifier with low maintenance and no irrigation required.
Sustainability and Innovation
Terrá incorporates environmental strategies aligned with contemporary best practices in sustainable architecture:
Clean energy generation through rooftop photovoltaic panels for condominium use.
Infrastructure prepared for electric mobility, enabling future installation of charging stations.
Energy efficiency through high-performance thermal glazing and passive shading provided by cantilevered slabs and brise-soleils.
Durability and adaptability with flexible floor plans that accommodate changes in use over time.
Conceptual Synthesis
“Terrá is not just a building: it is a terrarium on an urban scale, a carefully designed environment where life can flourish in balance with the city.”
Site and Relationship with the Surroundings
Situated on a tree-lined street in the Bela Vista neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Terrá engages directly with the urban landscape and Praça Carlos Simão Arnt, establishing visual and environmental continuity between public and private space.
The project maintains a strong visual connection with the square, linking all residential units and the rooftop condominium area to the urban landscape. The siting enhances the continuity of the front green space, while the excellent solar orientation ensures natural light, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency throughout the building.
The placement was carefully studied to reinforce this connection, transforming the front green area into a natural extension of the square and enhancing the urban pathway. The building does not impose itself on the neighborhood — it belongs to it, respecting the local scale, rhythm, and identity, while fully complying with current urban planning regulations.
Architecture and Volumetric Expression
Terrá’s volumetry adopts a contemporary and timeless architectural language, balancing horizontality and verticality in a refined manner. Cantilevered slabs create strong horizontal lines that define the façade’s identity, while metal brise-soleils at the base introduce lightness, rhythm, and passive solar protection. Large glazed openings ensure abundant natural light and strengthen the visual relationship with the city, making the urban landscape an integral part of residents’ everyday experience.
Architectural Program: Spaces for Living and Coexisting
The building comprises 18 residential units, arranged as two apartments per floor, with layouts of 135 m² and 157 m². The spatial organization prioritizes comfort and privacy:
The social areas face the main façade, favoring views and interaction.
The three suites are located at the rear, ensuring greater tranquility and acoustic insulation.
Flexible interior layouts allow for customization over time, increasing the building’s longevity and adaptability to changing family and social dynamics.
The ground-floor common areas were designed as extensions of the home, visually and physically connected to the front garden, fostering encounters, contemplation, and social interaction.
Materiality and Biophilic Design
Nature is a structuring element of Terrá. Planter boxes, green walls, and living roofs distribute vegetation across all levels of the building, seamlessly integrating architecture and landscape. The material palette reinforces this welcoming and sustainable character, featuring certified wood in ceilings and furnishings, bringing warmth, texture, and identity to the overall design. In the common area, a wall of Scandinavian moss stands out, providing aesthetic value while also acting as a natural air purifier with low maintenance and no irrigation required.
Sustainability and Innovation
Terrá incorporates environmental strategies aligned with contemporary best practices in sustainable architecture:
Clean energy generation through rooftop photovoltaic panels for condominium use.
Infrastructure prepared for electric mobility, enabling future installation of charging stations.
Energy efficiency through high-performance thermal glazing and passive shading provided by cantilevered slabs and brise-soleils.
Durability and adaptability with flexible floor plans that accommodate changes in use over time.
Conceptual Synthesis
“Terrá is not just a building: it is a terrarium on an urban scale, a carefully designed environment where life can flourish in balance with the city.”
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