A Green Roof Helps Camouflage This Striking Home in Brazil

The Ribeirão Preto Residence sports a dramatic, cantilevered roof and a robust indoor/outdoor connection.

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For a young couple and their two children, the Perkins+Will São Paulo studio led the challenge of designing a dwelling on a sloped landscape in the countryside city of Ribeirão Preto. Two volumes link in an L shape, creating a division between public and private spaces with uninterrupted connections to the outdoors. 

Upon entry, the Ribeirão Preto Residence appears as simple, solid blocks of concrete with warm, wood accents, hiding the drama and the openness of the opposing facade.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

A dramatic, cantilevered roof extends over the lower building volume, tying together the separate, yet connected, blocks of the home.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

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Communal areas are located in the first block, set higher on the land with uninterrupted, panoramic views. These communal spaces shield the private retreats, which are located in the block below. Every room in the home has access to the gardens, facilitating a continuous relationship with nature.

Private spaces and sleeping quarters are hidden below the green roof.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

Wood screens lend privacy to the lower level while allowing for ventilation in the hot, humid climate.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

Concrete steps gently cascade from the pool to the garden below.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

Sculptural in form, the concrete-faced pool hovers gently above the hillside, reflecting the sun and clouds as they pass overhead.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

The linear swimming pool hovers above the hillside, disappearing into the tropical foliage.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

A combination of metal, concrete, glass, and wood creates a contemporary, yet warm, retreat.  Transparent, open spaces with natural materials further increase the connection between indoors and outdoors. A lush green roof blends the home into the surrounding foliage while providing important thermal qualities in this tropical setting. 

A green roof further blends this hillside home into the landscape while providing thermal comforts for this warm climate.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

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An interior courtyard is shaded by metal louvers above, filtering light into the living spaces.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

Picturesque views of the surrounding countryside are present at every corner of this home.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

Daylight filters into open interiors through wood screens and large openings. The grand spaces provide the perfect backdrop to the owner's unique art collection.

Large, movable glass walls further blur the boundary between the interior and exterior.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

White walls provide a blank canvas for the family's grand art collection; the home glows like a contemporary art museum at night.

Photo by Leonardo Finotti

Related Reading: A Mesmerizing Pool Dominates This Brazilian Home

Project Credits: 

Architect of Record: Perkins + Will / @perkinswill

Builder / General Contractor: Construrocha

Structural Engineer: Ferriani Projetos 

Landscape Design Company: Rodrigo Oliveira Paisagismo

Lighting Design Company: Lucenera Atelier

Interior Design Company: Dulce Ferraz

Sound Engineer: Sondobase

Automation: TAAG

Electrical Engineering: Greenwatt

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